Choosing Each Other
by starzee
Summary: Realisations that took too long... but it's them. It's never too late. D/S brother bonding. D/C, S/OC romance.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own The Vampire Diaries, I'm just a fan :)

**This idea wouldn't leave my head so I jotted it down. The story line is set at some point in the future.**

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><p>Choosing Each Other<p>

Chapter 1

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><p>Stefan wasn't aware that it was a dream.<p>

Rebekah had a tight grip on him and he couldn't get her to let go. No matter what he did. They were back in the high school gym and he was on one end of it. He didn't know why Caroline, Elena, Bonnie, Jeremy and Tyler were sitting on the bleachers watching like spectators. They just _were_. He was shouting at them to help him but they just watched. They watched as Klaus' grip on Damon tightened. Stefan watched in horror as the hybrid pulled a stake from his pocket. Stefan begged him not to. Pleaded. Klaus smirked at him darkly. Stefan elbowed, kicked, headered... _Nothing_ loosened her grip. He shouted to Damon to fight. Damon was trying but it was useless. Klaus positioned the stake over Damon's heart and that's when Rebekah let him go. He _flew_ across the gym at supernatural speed and just as he got to Damon, Klaus pushed it in.

"I love you, Damon." Stefan exclaimed as he caught him. He just needed Damon to know that. Stefan slumped on the floor and watched as Damon greyed in his arms. He burst into uncontrollable tears. He was shaking and rocking back and forth with his dead brother in his arms.

Stefan thought he'd known pain before.

He hadn't.

He couldn't even _imagine_ a world without his brother. There wasn't one for Stefan. Damon was _always_ in his life. He couldn't comprehend anything different. He couldn't. He just couldn't do it. There was no fight left now. He was done. He cried and cried and he felt someone take his hand. It was familiar. He looked up through his tear soaked eyes into the ice blue eyes of his brother. All the ghosts of everyone had been corporeal at the time. Damon was crouching next to him with his hand locked with Stefan's.

"Not quite the fiery experience I was expecting when I finally died." Damon smirked.

"Damon." Stefan gasped as he kept sobbing. Damon gave him a sad look and Stefan grabbed him and held him close. Willing him to be real.

"I love you too, Stefan." Damon said sincerely into Stefan's hair and it only made Stefan cry harder. Though Stefan had _completely_ forgotten the others in the gym, the others were staring at them shocked. "You need to keep fighting. You need to let me go." Damon whispered to him and Stefan shook his head as Damon let go of him.

"I can't." He choked on his sobs and Damon's eyes showed sadness but also understanding.

"You _have_ to." Damon said running a hand through Stefan's hair like he did when he was little... hoping to change his mind.

"Not without you... I can't." Stefan said as he sniffed and sobbed. His whole world was over. Damon sighed... He wasn't surprised. He knew Stefan couldn't live without him... just like he couldn't ever live without Stefan.

"I'll wait for you." Damon squeezed his hand softly and Stefan nodded.

"I'll meet you where we should have died." Stefan sobbed and Damon nodded sadly.

"I'll be there, brother." Damon whispered then he was gone. Stefan sobbed again and looked down at his dead brother in his arms. It was the most horrible thing he'd ever seen in his life. He wished he could take back all those times he'd told Damon he wished him dead. Because, the reality, was the _worst_ thing Stefan could ever imagine. The worst thing that had ever happened in his life. Stefan took a deep breath then stood up with Damon in his arms. He couldn't stop crying but he had to at least tell Elena goodbye. He turned around and there she stood.

"Goodbye, Elena." Stefan sobbed and she looked at him with panic.

"Why are you saying goodbye?" She asked hurriedly and more tears fell down Stefan's face.

"Because I can't live without him." Stefan said shakily and Elena's jaw dropped and tears welled in his eyes.

"We can get through it, Stefan. I'll help you. Please, don't do this." Elena begged him and Stefan shook his head.

"I _can't_, Elena." He said brokenly. "I love you... but Damon is my whole world. He always was and he always will be." Stefan sobbed. "And I can't go on without him. I refuse." Stefan sobbed as did Elena. "Take care, Elena." Stefan said then sped out of the gym to the creek. He sat down on the ground with Damon across his lap. He took Damon's ring off then his own and tossed them to the side. The sun would be up soon... Then they'd be together again.

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><p>Damon wasn't aware that it was a dream.<p>

Rebekah had a tight grip on him and he couldn't get her to let go. No matter what he did. They were back in the high school gym and he was on one end of it. He didn't know why Caroline, Elena, Bonnie and Alaric were sitting on the bleachers watching like spectators. They just _were_. He was shouting at them to help him but they just watched. They watched as Klaus' grip on Stefan tightened. Damon watched in horror as the hybrid pulled a stake from his pocket. Damon reached his hands back and somehow managed to snap the Original's neck and she fell to the floor. He darted towards Klaus and managed to dislodge the stake in the hybrid's hands and it went flying. Klaus grabbed Damon by the throat and Damon watched in horror as Klaus stuck his hand in Stefan's chest. Damon _begged_ the hybrid not to do it. He'd do _anything_. Klaus pulled Stefan's heart out and let Damon go in time for Damon to catch Stefan before he hit the ground.

"I love you, Stefan." Damon got out before Stefan greyed and died in his arms. Damon slumped over him and pressed his face into his little brother's neck. He willed it not to be true. It couldn't be true. His baby brother couldn't be dead. It wasn't possible.

Damon thought he'd understood what true pain felt like.

He didn't until that moment.

It seared through him and he knew he wouldn't be long behind. There was no life without a little brother to irritate. There was nothing left in the world for him. Stefan was everything and he was gone.

"You can't be dead, Stef." Damon whispered into his neck.

"Damon." He heard Elena plead as she tugged at his jacket and he snapped his head to her.

"Unless you want your neck snapped, you will _fuck right off_." Damon said to her darkly and her eyes widened in fear. He'd _never_ spoken to Elena like that before. But Stefan was _his_ not _hers_.

"But I love him." Elena sobbed and Damon chuckled menacingly.

"_You_ have no concept of what love is. _You_ can't even begin to know how this feels. So listen up and listen good, Elena. Fuck. Off. Now. Or I will _kill_ you." Damon seethed at her and she backed up in fear. Damon turned his head back and ran his hand softly through Stefan's hair like he did when they were kids. It had always comforted Stefan. It was one of the few ways that he'd always been able to express how much he loved Stefan. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned his head to yell at whoever it was to fuck off when he was faced with leaf green eyes. His brother's eyes. "Stef..." Damon gasped and he felt his emotions bubbling to the surface. He'd managed to contain it so far but seeing those eyes open, staring into his soul, those loving eyes of his little brother... His eyes watered.

"You're not going to fight... are you?" Stefan asked him sadly and Damon stared back.

"Could you?" Damon asked him rhetorically. He already knew his little brother couldn't live without him.

"Come, Damon. I'll wait for you." Stefan whispered and Damon nodded.

"I'll be right there, little brother." Damon said to him soothingly. Stefan looked afraid before. Afraid to be alone. But Damon saw instant comfort appear in Stefan's eyes when Damon said he was coming. "Wait for me at the creek. Then you won't be alone. I promise." He said and Stefan nodded.

"I'll be there waiting." Stefan smiled at Damon and Damon felt a little better. He'd be with his little brother again soon. It would be over soon. They'd both find peace... and if not, at least they'd be in hell _together_. He could deal with that. Stefan disappeared then and Caroline rushed over to him.

"What the hell are you doing? You can't... You can't go with Stefan." Caroline said to him panicked and two large tears fell from his eyes down his cheeks.

"I have to." Damon replied and tears welled in her eyes.

"Please don't, Damon... I... need you." She said and he smirked at her.

"You don't need anyone, Caroline. You're strong. You'll make it. But don't make the same mistakes that Stefan and I did. Don't turn your emotions off or you'll regret it." Damon said to her and she sobbed.

"Please, Damon? Don't do this. You'll get through it." She pleaded and he cupped her cheek and gave her a sad smile.

"No, Caroline. I could never get through this." Damon said softly. "I'm sorry for everything I put you through. But you should know that I think you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen... and I've seen a lot of girls." He smirked at her and she looked shocked. He leaned forward and put a peck on her lips. "If I hadn't been such a jackass, I'm quite sure I would have fallen head over heels in love with you." He whispered and she sniffed a little. "Compel Elena to forget us." Damon said to her and she nodded. "Bye, Caroline." He smiled then sped out of the gym at full speed to the creek before he could see anymore of her tears. She genuinely didn't want him to go... he was surprised at that.

Nevertheless, he had stuff to do. He had a brother to find. He got to the creek and sat down with Stefan still in his lap. That's when he let his emotions take over. He cried. He cried into his dead little brother's shoulder. But he didn't cry for himself. He cried for what Stefan lost. Stefan dying so soon. Stefan dying and leaving people behind. He took Stefan's ring off and his own and threw them into the creek. They'd burn together. Like they were meant to in the beginning.

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><p>Stefan's eyes snapped open and he sat up in his bed. His pillow was soaked with tears. The pain in his chest was indescribable. He was quite glad he didn't need to breathe or he was sure he wouldn't be able to.<p>

Damon's eyes snapped open and he looked around his room a little wildly. He wasn't at the creek. It was a dream. Oh thank God! Damon thought to himself with a sigh.

Stefan had the sudden _need_ to see his big brother.

Damon had the sudden _need_ to see his little brother.

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><p>They met in the hallway halfway between their rooms.<p>

"Were you coming to check on me?" Damon cocked an eyebrow at him with a small smirk. He already knew the answer. He could see Stefan's puffy tearful eyes.

"No, of course not." Stefan replied and Damon found his little brother highly amusing. "Were you?" He asked with a small smile. He already knew the answer. He could see that Damon's eyelashes were wet. It was the only sign but Stefan knew his brother well.

"Don't be ridiculous, little brother." Damon said. Stefan's eyes locked with his at 'little brother'. Damon hadn't meant to say it. They weren't quite sure how it happened but somehow, they ended up hugging. Neither knew who hugged first. Neither cared.

"I love you, Damon." Stefan whispered in a tiny young voice and Damon rubbed his back softly.

"I love you too, Stefan." Damon whispered back then just because he _could_... he pulled back and ran his hand through Stefan's hair like when they were kids. Stefan couldn't help the goofy grin that appeared on his face at that action. Damon hadn't done that since they were human. Damon couldn't help a little amused chuckle and an eye roll. He'd enjoyed it too and Stefan knew that. "Just try not to die, okay?" Damon asked him and Stefan looked surprised.

"You too." Stefan replied and Damon nodded. Clearly they'd both had similar dreams.

"Weird." Damon said.

"Yeah." Stefan agreed.

"I mean... Klaus and Rebekah are dead." Damon said and Stefan nodded.

"Elena deserves a normal life... we won't choose her." Stefan said and Damon understood what he didn't say. _We'll always choose each other_.

"I'll go pack." Damon replied.

"Your car or mine?" Stefan asked and Damon chuckled.

"Stupid question, brother." Damon smirked.

"Vegas?" Stefan smirked back and Damon laughed.

"Showgirls." Damon winked and Stefan chuckled.

"No killing." Stefan warned and Damon rolled his eyes.

"No brooding." Damon warned back and Stefan rolled his eyes.

"I'll go say bye to Elena." He said.

"I'm going to speak to Barbie." Damon said. They both nodded then turned and went back to their rooms to pack.

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><p>They packed up their rooms and only took the things that they <em>always<em> took with them. They got rid of all evidence of them being vampires then they packed their things into Damon's car. They went to Caroline's house first. Stefan wasn't quite sure why Damon was so determined to speak to her but he didn't say anything about it. Damon just knew after his dream that he _had_ to. It was still dark as neither of them had gone back to sleep. They'd been vampires a long time, so packing didn't take long. Damon hopped up to her window sill and tapped the glass. She stirred and looked a little confused then reluctantly got out of bed and opened the window.

"Do you know what time it is?" Caroline complained and he smirked.

"I just wanted to say bye." He said to her and her annoyed expression fell to one of shock.

"Bye?" She asked confused and he nodded.

"Don't make the same mistakes that Stefan and I did. Don't turn your emotions off. You'll regret it if you do." He said to her sadly. "I'm sorry for everything, Caroline." He said and she saw how sincerely he said it.

"You're really leaving?" She asked and he saw how sad that made her.

"It's time." He replied.

"But what about Stefan?" She asked confused.

"We're leaving together." He said to her and her jaw dropped.

"_Both_ of you?" She asked shocked and he nodded.

"You'll be fine." He said to her. "You're my vampire so you'll always have a way to contact me. When I get a new number I'll text you. But don't give it to anyone else." He said.

"Okay." She said in a small voice and he saw that she was kind of upset so he moved towards her and surprised her by hugging her. She held him back tightly.

"Maybe you can even come hang out with us after you ditch this lame town." He winked at her and she smiled.

"I'll miss you." She said to him and the surprise on his face was evident.

"I'll miss you too, Blondie." He replied with a smirk and she half smiled for saying it back and half glared at him for the nickname. He chuckled at that because it was a funny expression to witness.

"Before you go... why... why me?" She asked him curiously and he walked over to the window and jumped up on the sill before turning his head back to look at her with a smirk.

"I've seen a lot of girls... but you are the most beautiful of all of them." He said to her and her jaw dropped. "See you around, Barbie." He winked at her then he was gone.

Caroline had to sit down.

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><p>Stefan had been eavesdropping out of pure curiosity. He'd been stunned at Damon's explanation but he didn't say anything about it. Damon then drove them straight over to the Gilbert's. Elena's window was <em>always<em> open which was something both brothers always nagged at her about but she never listened to them with anything so why would that be different? Stefan jumped in the window and Damon stayed in the car. He didn't feel like saying bye to her... since his thoughts were kind of consumed by a little annoying blonde vampire. Was his subconscious trying to tell him something?

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><p>Stefan jumped up into Elena's bedroom and he watched her sleep for a moment. He knew this would be hard but he could never give her his whole heart and he felt she deserved all or nothing. He felt he did too. He knew part of her heart was Damon's, even if nobody talked about it. He perched on her bed and he ran his hand over her cheek softly. She stirred a little and looked up and saw Stefan sitting there.<p>

"Hey... something wrong?" She yawned and looked at the bedside clock. 3.37am.

"I... I just came to say goodbye, Elena." He said to her softly and she shot up to a seated position with wide unbelieving eyes.

"What?" She asked in disbelief.

"Damon and I are leaving Mystic Falls and we aren't coming back." Stefan said to her a little sadly. He would miss her but he knew it was for the best.

"Why?" She asked shocked.

"You deserve to have a normal life. We will _always_ be vampires." Stefan said and she shook her head.

"Is this because I said I didn't want to be a vampire?" She asked as tears welled in her eyes.

"No, Elena. I don't want you to be a vampire either." He said sincerely because it was true. "This is because... I can't give you my whole heart." He said and she looked stunned.

"What do you mean?" She asked confused.

"I know it's not the same kind of love... but the love of _my_ life is my brother." Stefan said to her and her jaw dropped. "It's not a romantic love but it _is_ true. He is who I will always choose and that isn't fair to you. And he's in the same situation as I am. Sometimes we hate each other. Sometimes we do things to hurt each other. But we can't live without each other. So as much as I love you... I can't be everything you need because Damon will always come first. You deserve more than that." Stefan said to her sincerely.

"Did he ask you to do this?" Elena asked confused as all of that sunk in.

"No. I asked him to leave with me. I made this decision. Regardless who I'm with or who I love... I'll never lose Damon no matter what I do to hurt him or piss him off. He would _never_ ask me to choose... but it doesn't mean that I haven't already chosen because I have. I did when I was a child. Damon has always and _will_ always come first." Stefan explained. "And because of that... I can't love you completely the way you deserve to be loved." He said. "I'm sorry for that, Elena. I didn't realise it until tonight."

"How did you realise it?" She asked him in a whisper. She understood... because she couldn't give Stefan her whole heart either.

"I had a dream that Damon died and it was... too real." Stefan replied. "And the first thing I would do if Damon died is follow him without a second thought." He admitted and her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "Because I can't contemplate life without him. He's the only thing I have _always _had." He said softly willing her to understand and she nodded.

"I understand, Stefan." She said because she did. She'd been around both of them long enough to know they could fight, they could beat each other up, they could hate each other... but they'd both die for each other in a heartbeat. Neither could ever do anything to get over the other's death. She knew why Stefan was leaving her.

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><p>Damon heard every word. Damon felt the same way... But he was still totally going to mock him for being a huge sap. Stefan got back in the car a short while later and Damon drove away.<p>

"You alright?" Damon asked him cocking an eyebrow and Stefan nodded.

"It's for the best." Stefan replied. "But can we _not_ fight over girls anymore?" He asked and Damon chuckled.

"No more brunettes. _Ever_." Damon said and Stefan laughed.

"Deal." Stefan agreed.

"I get redheads. You get blondes. We'll share girls with black hair... not like Katherine share... you know what I mean right?" Damon asked amused and Stefan chuckled.

"You sure _I've_ to get the blondes?" Stefan asked him amused and Damon smirked.

"Mmhmm." Damon nodded. "Well... except one." He replied and Stefan laughed.

"Which one?" Stefan asked amused and Damon rolled his eyes.

"You know which one." Damon said and Stefan laughed at his evasiveness.

"That's cute." Stefan teased him and Damon smirked.

"You know what's not cute?" Damon asked him. "We _just_ passed Valentine's day. So if _I'm_ the love of your life why did Elena get a present and I didn't?" Damon mock pouted and Stefan blushed at the realisation that Damon heard every word then laughed.

"Shut up, Damon." Stefan chuckled. "You love me too. You said so." He pointed out and Damon chuckled.

"I don't know, Stef... think I kind of like Barbie." He said and Stefan laughed at him changing the subject.

"I kind of got that from you telling her she's the most beautiful girl in the world." Stefan teased him and Damon rolled his eyes.

"Fine... we should both stop eavesdropping." He muttered and Stefan chuckled.


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own The Vampire Diaries, I'm just a fan :)

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><p>Choosing Each Other<p>

Chapter 2

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><p>They'd been getting along surprisingly well. They'd left Mystic Falls five days earlier. Stefan didn't understand the route that Damon was taking but he didn't comment. They drove all day then in the evenings they drank in bars and chatted up women. They were both very much enjoying just 'hanging out' with each other, considering they hadn't just done that since they were human. It wasn't until they crossed into Montana that Stefan understood that they weren't going to Vegas.<p>

"Why are we going to your cabin?" Stefan asked curiously and Damon chuckled.

"How do you even _know_ I have a cabin?" Damon asked amused and Stefan rolled his eyes.

"Where are my houses, Damon?" Stefan retorted and Damon chuckled.

"Let's see..." Damon said as he pretended to think about it. "There's the penthouse in Boston, there's the villa in Tuscany, there's the apartment in Tokyo, there's the chalet in Germany, there's the beach house in California and the ripper apartment in Chicago." Damon smirked at him and Stefan sighed.

"So since you know where all of mine are, why wouldn't I know where yours are?" Stefan asked him and Damon smirked.

"I just thought I was better at being stealthy than you are." Damon said amused and Stefan chuckled.

"Apparently not." Stefan said with his own little devious smirk and Damon laughed a little. "You still didn't answer my question." He pointed out.

"It's a surprise." Damon replied and Stefan rolled his eyes.

"A surprise in a cabin in the middle of nowhere?" Stefan asked sceptically and Damon smirked.

"Mmhmm." Damon replied. "It's on the water. You'll love it." Damon winked at him and Stefan rolled his eyes.

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><p>They stopped briefly in Lewistown and Damon got them new sim cards for their phones. He didn't tell Stefan about that yet though. They got back on the road and a couple of hours later they pulled up at Damon's large lakefront cabin. Damon's land was fenced off so there were no chances of hunters or campers in the woods. There were no other cabins for at least ten miles in any direction. That's why Damon had chosen to come to the cabin for Stefan's 'surprise'. Damon had stocked up on booze. As in his whole trunk was full to the brim. He didn't plan on leaving the cabin for at least a week so he needed the booze. They got their bags and Damon unlocked the door and the two of them went inside. They brought in the booze then Stefan went to find himself a bedroom. There were four of them and Damon's room was so <em>obvious<em>. It was practically the same as the one in the boarding house. Damon was such a creature of habit. After he'd dumped his stuff, he wandered downstairs only to find Damon sitting on the porch with his feet up. He'd poured two glasses of whiskey and Stefan sat next to him and lounged with his feet up in a similar way to his brother.

"So, now are you going to tell me?" Stefan asked and Damon nodded.

"But you have to let me finish _before_ you start with the complaining." Damon warned and Stefan rolled his eyes and nodded.

"Fine, go ahead." Stefan said.

"We are going to stay here until you can control human blood." Damon said and Stefan's jaw dropped.

"But..."

"Ah, ah, ah." Damon waved his finger. "I'm not finished." He said sternly and Stefan sighed. He _had_ agreed to hear him out first. "I have acres of land and it's all fenced up. These woods have _no_ humans in them. There isn't another cabin for just over ten miles and it's usually empty anyway. We'll start you off with a routine. Here it's ridiculously relaxing. There's nothing to stress about. All you have to focus on is controlling blood bags. I have them hidden so it's not like you can go on a binge. I will tell you _when_ you drink. You'll start with a routine. We'll even start with a mixture of human and animal blood so that it isn't a complete shock to your system. You _won't_ become a ripper again. I promise, Stefan. But it's time to learn this. Klaus was able to play on your weakness and human blood is your weakness. So that stops now. There is _no_ temptation here because you won't hear heartbeats, you won't smell blood. So we'll do everything slowly. You have nothing to panic about. I won't let you kill anyone. Remember our deal? No killing or brooding?" Damon asked him. Stefan thought over everything Damon said and he had to admit, this place _was_ relaxing. He could imagine having _nothing_ to stress over at all. He'd _always_ wanted to control it but he'd never had a chance like this. He believed that Damon would help him. He believed his brother wouldn't let him kill again. "It's just blood, Stef. It's not a big deal. The sooner you see that, the easier it'll be." Damon said to him softly and Stefan nodded.

"Okay." Stefan agreed just as softly back and Damon looked surprised.

"Okay?" Damon asked cocking an eyebrow. "I was _sure_ it would take more than that to convince you." He said and Stefan chuckled.

"No brooding, right?" He smirked and Damon smiled. _I trust you._

"Right." Damon nodded. _I won't let you down._

"Then how do you want to start?" Stefan asked him.

"Down to business. I like that." Damon replied and Stefan chuckled. "You will have half a blood bag in the morning. Half at lunch. Then a bottle of animal blood at dinner which I will get for you." He said and Stefan looked surprised.

"Only one bag a day?" Stefan asked surprised.

"I'm not risking giving you more than that." He replied. "Not yet. We'll see how you do on that."

"Okay." Stefan nodded in agreement. "What were all those bags of stuff you bought?" He asked curiously and Damon chuckled.

"We're going to be here a while. I bought a whole bunch of TV box sets and movies." He smirked and Stefan laughed. "So, since it's lunch time." Damon said then pulled out a blood bag from his pocket. "One sip then you give it back to me." Damon said handing it over to Stefan. "Think about something else. Pretend you're taking a drink of water or alcohol or anything else. It is _only_ blood. Right?" Damon asked him and Stefan took a deep calming breath.

"Right." Stefan agreed. He carefully opened the blood bag then he noticed a bird diving for a fish out in the water. He watched the bird as he took a sip then pulled it away from his mouth. He concentrated on the bird as he swallowed then handed the bag back to Damon who smiled.

"Good." Damon nodded. "What were you watching?" He asked looking out on the water.

"A bird diving for a fish." He said and Damon nodded.

"And how do you feel?" He asked.

"I'm not thinking about it. It's _not_ blood. It's just something I took a drink of." Stefan said forcing himself to believe that. It was easier than he thought. He figured it was the combination of his big brother having his back and being out in the serenity that was nature.

"Good." Damon smiled. Stefan saw that Damon looked proud of him. Damon handed him the bag back. "Now keep sipping it like that until it's half finished then I'll have the other half." He said and Stefan nodded. He took another drink and this time he watched the ripples in the water. He forgot how beautiful the natural world was. He was always so busy _saving_ someone or _doing_ something that he never had time anymore to just sit and appreciate the beauty that was left.

"I think this will be nice, actually. After the last couple of years, to just sit here and do _nothing_ of importance. To not matter in the slightest. Just two brothers in a cabin watching TV." Stefan smirked and Damon laughed at that.

"God, we'll kill each other in a week." Damon teased and Stefan laughed.

"Nah, we have _plenty_ of booze. It'll be fun. Maybe we should start building something. Like... a barn or a boat or something. You know? Just for something to do?" Stefan asked then took a sip and Damon shrugged.

"Why not?" He asked. "I like the boat idea though. We could go fishing." He smirked and Stefan grinned. They'd always gone finishing when they were teenagers.

"Yes, definitely. You don't have internet, do you?" Stefan asked and Damon chuckled.

"Yeah, why?" He asked.

"Just to download boat instructions." Stefan said and Damon rolled his eyes.

"Stefan. We are from the 1800s. We can build a boat without instructions." Damon said and Stefan laughed.

"Whatever you say, Dammy. But don't blame me if it sinks." Stefan teased as he took another sip and Damon laughed.

"It won't sink, Steffy... besides... it's not like we can drown." He smirked and Stefan laughed loudly. Stefan was keeping an eye on the bag. He was too distracted by thoughts of doing brotherly things with Damon to focus on his bloodlust. When he got half way down he handed it over to Damon who gave him a proud smile then downed the bag in a gulp and got rid of the packaging.

"Why'd you gulp it?" Stefan asked confused and Damon shrugged.

"It _is_ just blood to me, Stef. It doesn't matter if I sip or gulp it. It does nothing to bring out my bloodlust. I just thought it would be easier for you not to have to see it." He shrugged. "Anyway, let's talk about this boat." Damon smirked and Stefan chuckled.

* * *

><p>That evening after dark, the two of them were back sitting on the porch. They'd spent all day drawing up a boat blueprint and talking about what supplies they'd need and what materials and tools Damon would have to go get. Stefan had kept busy all day so he wasn't thinking about the blood. And he had to admit, he <em>loved<em> hanging out with Damon all day. He'd had so much fun. They'd argued all day about the boat design but it wasn't in a bad way. It was in a normal brotherly way and both of them had thoroughly enjoyed the change in their arguments.

"Oh, I forgot." Damon muttered as he shot back into the house. Stefan took a sip of his whiskey as he cocked an eyebrow at his weird brother. Damon came back out and retook his seat then handed over a packet to Stefan. Stefan looked at it and saw that it was a new sim card. "Fresh start." He said. "I'm breaking my sim."

"What if something happens and they need to contact us?" Stefan asked biting his lip.

"Barbie will have my number. She's not to give it out but if they really _need_ us, she can call us to come back." Damon replied and Stefan nodded. "Unless you want to have contact with anyone." He said and Stefan shook his head.

"I don't want any more drama. Mystic Falls is just drama." Stefan said.

"Fair enough." Damon nodded in agreement. "Though, I promised Barbie I'd let her know my new number." He said and Stefan chuckled.

"Just call her Damon. We've been gone for five days. It might be good to check in." Stefan pointed out.

"Yeah, alright." Damon agreed. He swapped the sim cards in his phone. He was glad his contacts were saved to the phone and not the sim. That would be a drag having to input them in all over again. "Do you want to speak to her too?" Damon asked.

"Sure, I'll speak to her after you." Stefan agreed. Damon dialled her number and waited for her to answer.

"_Hello?_" She asked curiously and Damon smirked.

"Hey, Blondie." Damon said.

"_Hey! You were supposed to text me your number._" She said and he could hear that she was happy to hear from him but annoyed that she hadn't heard from him sooner.

"I just got the new number." Damon replied.

"_Oh. Okay. Where's this number for anyway? I don't recognise the area code._" She said and Damon chuckled.

"Montana." Damon replied and she giggled.

"_What the hell are you doing there?_" She asked.

"Building a boat." Damon replied and there was silence.

"_If that's a joke, I don't get it._" She said and both brothers laughed at that.

"No. Stefan and I are _really_ building a boat." Damon replied and there was silence again then a small giggle.

"_Why?_" She asked and they laughed.

"So we can go fishing." Damon said like it was so obvious.

"_Can't you just buy a boat?_" She asked sceptically as if she was wondering why on earth the Salvatore brothers would want to go fishing.

"Yeah, but we're seeing if we _can_ build a boat." Damon replied and she laughed.

"_You bored of your freedom from Mystic Falls already?_" She teased and he chuckled.

"No, but there isn't _that_ much to do in Montana." Damon replied and she giggled.

"_Then why'd you go there?_" She asked.

"Because Stefan and I have decided to do _nothing_ for the foreseeable future." Damon smirked and she laughed.

"_Sounds fun. Is this like a brother bonding thing or will you allow visitors?_" She asked amused.

"If you are a very good little Blondie then maybe you can come in our boat and I'll take you for a ride." Damon teased and both she and Stefan laughed at the hidden innuendo.

"_Do you even have to __**try**__ to be crude?_" She asked and he chuckled.

"Slip of the tongue." Damon smirked and they laughed again.

"_Guess that answers that question._" She said and Damon and Stefan chuckled.

"Anything noteworthy happening in our boring birth place?" Damon asked.

"_Not really. My mom's kind of pissed at you but other than that no._" She said and Damon frowned.

"Why's Liz pissed?" Damon asked.

"_Actually, __**everyone**__ is kind of pissed at both of you but it's for the same reason. You both left without saying bye to anyone._" Caroline pointed out.

"First of all, I thought your mother would like the town being free of vampires – bar you, obviously – so I thought it would be better. Second, who the hell else would I say bye to? Stefan said bye to Elena." Damon replied.

"_Well, Stefan didn't say bye to me. And surprisingly, Bonnie is the most pissed at you leaving, Damon._" She said and his jaw dropped.

"Why?" He asked confused.

"_She said she'll have nobody to argue with now and when she gets a hold of you, you'll get one hell of a headache for not even giving her a goodbye fight._" She giggled and Damon smirked.

"I'll call her then." Damon replied surprising Stefan and Caroline. Damon kind of understood where the witch was coming from. She was his verbal sparring partner. He'd miss her too. "Want to speak to Stefan?" He asked.

"_Yes, please._" She replied curtly and Damon chuckled at the fact he knew Caroline was going to rip Stefan a new one. He handed the phone over to Stefan.

"Hey, Care." He said softly hoping it would work and Damon was highly amused at what his little brother was trying to do.

"_Don't 'Hey, Care' me! How could you just piss off like that and not even say bye! I hunted a bunny for you, you ass! You owed me a goodbye!_" She yelled and Damon and Stefan laughed at that.

"I'm sorry, Caroline. I just... thought it would be hard to say goodbye to you." Stefan replied.

"_Why?_" She asked softer though her tone conveyed she was still pissed/hurt.

"Because you were really my only friend in Mystic Falls." He replied and Damon smirked knowing Caroline would melt at that.

"_Aww, Stefan._" She said sweetly and Stefan flashed a grin at Damon who bit his lip so he wouldn't laugh at his manipulating little brother. "_Will you at least keep in touch?_" She asked softly.

"Of course. I'll send you my number too." He said to her.

"_That's great._" She said happily. "_Elena's been pretty sad, by the way._" Caroline said.

"I know, me too. But it's for the best." Stefan replied.

"_Dating humans just doesn't work._" She said surprising the two of them.

"I guess it doesn't." Stefan agreed. "I'll call you tomorrow for a proper catch up." He said.

"_Okay, Stefan. You boys take care and tell Damon to call Ric and my mom._" She said.

"I will. Bye, Care." He said.

"_Bye, Stefan._" She said and he hung up.

"And you say _I'm_ manipulative." Damon smirked at him and Stefan chuckled.

"I just didn't want her to get mad or be hurt over something that would have been difficult to do for me." Stefan said and Damon nodded then Stefan handed him the phone back.

"Now this should be funny." Damon smirked as he dialled Bonnie's number.

"_Hello?_" She answered curiously.

"Apparently you miss me." Damon said and he could practically hear her blood boiling.

"_Damon? I'm going to kill you when I get a hold of you, you selfish ass!_" She seethed and he and Stefan chuckled.

"Why's that, Judgy? Did you want a goodbye kiss?" He teased and he could practically hear her rolling her eyes.

"_Yeah right. Who knows where your mouth's been?_" She replied and he smirked.

"I can imagine it going to some rather magical places of yours." Damon replied and she gasped.

"_Damon!_" She exclaimed horrified and he and Stefan laughed.

"I could have broken you in, you know. You only had to ask." He teased and Stefan tried not to laugh loudly at his lewd brother.

"_You'll pay for that, Salvatore._" She seethed and he laughed.

"I've never had to pay for it before." He smirked and she sighed.

"_I hate you_." She said and he smirked.

"No, you'll totally miss me." He teased.

"_When hell freezes over, maybe._" She muttered and he chuckled.

"You're such a feisty little witch. I definitely should have taken you for a test drive." He said and she gasped.

"_You are such a pig!_" She exclaimed and he chuckled.

"Is that so? I seem to recall going into your dreams a few times and you were dreaming about me doing plenty of things to a _very_ naked you." He teased.

"_Oh my God! How could you do that?_" She yelled at him horrified and he laughed.

"I didn't actually, but at least now I know you dream about me." He teased and Stefan's jaw dropped at his total manipulation of the little witch. There was just silence on the line.

"_You disgust me._" She said and he chuckled.

"Maybe... but you also know I'd be the ride of your life." He smirked and she hung up. Both Damon and Stefan laughed loudly at that. "I guess she figured she can't win on the phone since she can't aneurism me to shut up." He smirked at Stefan who laughed.

"I can't believe you say things like that to her." Stefan said amused and Damon shrugged.

"She loves it really." Damon smirked. "I do _not_ understand why the little witch isn't hounded by men. She is _ridiculously_ hot and so feisty." He said.

"She is hot." Stefan nodded in agreement. "But she's also smart and shy to people who aren't you." He said and Damon smirked.

"People who aren't me?" He asked.

"You horrify her past the point of shyness." Stefan teased and Damon laughed.

"Good. She shouldn't be shy." He said. Just then a folded up note appeared on Damon's lap and he chuckled. "Little witch." He said amused. He opened the paper and grabbed his head in pain as words appeared on the page.

_Maybe I will miss you, jackass._

The aneurism stopped and he laughed and showed Stefan the paper then he laughed too.

"She sent you an aneurism?" Stefan laughed. "That's amazing." He chuckled. Damon typed up a quick message on his phone then.

* * *

><p>Bonnie had not long sent the aneurism to Damon when her phone beeped and it was from the number Damon had called from.<p>

**Maybe I'll miss you too, Judgy. Call me if you're ever in need of a fight... or phone sex. Love you always, your favourite dream vampire xoxoxoxox**

She laughed and rolled her eyes. She was glad she didn't have to lose him completely. She'd miss him. She didn't know when it happened, but somehow, Damon had become her friend.

* * *

><p>"<em>Why<em> are we watching this, Stefan?" Damon asked annoyed.

"Neither of us has seen it, Damon." He replied and Damon shot him an annoyed look.

"It's a movie about sparkly vampires, Stefan. Get a _grip_." Damon said in disbelief.

"Oh, c'mon. You're not _remotely_ curious? It's a worldwide sensation. Shouldn't we at least see what it's about?" Stefan asked and Damon scowled at him.

"I'll tell you what it's about. Sparkly brooding vampire meets pain in the ass annoying human girl who shows him he isn't a monster when really all he's thinking the whole time is how much he wants to drain every drop of her dry. The end." Damon said and Stefan chuckled.

"Is that a _fact_ or are you just guessing?" Stefan asked amused and Damon shrugged.

"Guessing. I read a little bit of the fourth book at Barbie's once but I haven't got a clue what happens in the first one." He admitted.

"Then let's just watch it. It's on cable anyway." Stefan pointed out and Damon rolled his eyes.

"_Why_ do you want to watch it?" Damon asked seriously.

"Curiosity." Stefan shrugged and Damon sighed then gulped his drink.

"I swear you tell _anyone_ we watched this together and I _will_ fucking kill you." Damon warned and Stefan chuckled.

"You'd only be killing yourself." Stefan smirked at him and Damon nodded.

"It would be worth it just to get away from sparkly fucking vampires." Damon muttered and Stefan laughed.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I actually like Twilight so there is no harm intended to Twilight fans or the story itself. I just thought the imagine of Damon and Stefan sitting watching Twilight together was funny XD**


	3. Chapter 3

I don't own The Vampire Diaries, I'm just a fan :)

* * *

><p>Choosing Each Other<p>

Chapter 3

* * *

><p>They'd left Mystic Falls in the first week of March. It was now mid-June. They'd finished their boat. It sunk the first twice so they'd had to redo it a bit but after a few alterations, it turned out to be a pretty cool boat. Stefan made progress with the blood and after a few weeks, Damon started taking him into town so he could be around humans. If it got too much, they went back to the cabin. But bit by bit, Stefan <em>was<em> learning to control it. He felt the difference. They'd also built a garage for something to do. By mid-June, the two of them were the best of friends since they'd spent all day every day together for over two months.

Bonnie had done a locator spell on them and she was paying them a surprise visit along with Caroline and Elena. The three of them were flying to Montana then renting a car to drive to where the brothers were. Stefan was so happy with life at the moment that he hardly spared a thought for Elena anymore. Life was good. Both Damon and Stefan kept in touch with Caroline and Damon called the witch about once a week or so to annoy her. She called him sometimes to annoy him too. Though they were definitely _not_ expecting a visit.

So the day the girls decided to visit, Stefan and Damon had a CD player outside blaring punk music. Stefan was over by the building block sanding wood for the boat house they were building. Damon was in the lake having a swim and Stefan was so busy concentrating and the music was so loud, he never heard their car pull up. Damon noticed them immediately and smirked. He stayed hidden in the water though. He _did_ always like to make an entrance after all. The girls jumped out of the car and saw Stefan across the way using a sander and he was nodding his head along to the music which they found amusing.

"Stefan!" Caroline called and his head snapped round to see Caroline, Elena and Bonnie standing next to their car grinning at him. He was visibly surprised but he went over and put the stereo off. He wasn't used to humans being close anymore without Damon so he was kind of nervous about it.

"Damon." Stefan called out to the water which surprised the three girls but they looked out anyway. Damon's head popped out of the water as he started to walk up out of the water onto the shore. He pretended not to notice the girls though he was highly amused at the three jaw droppings he got when he got out of the water in only swim trunks. He shook his hair gently so it looked natural and not like he'd done that on purpose though he did notice all three of the girls eyeing him. He was highly amused by Elena and Bonnie's heartbeats racing.

"What's up, Stef?" Damon asked curiously. Stefan pointed and Damon turned his head and smirked. "My three favourite girls." Damon said amused then sauntered over to them casually.

"Hey." Caroline smiled at him.

"Barbie, Judgy and Gilbert. What _are _you ladies doing here?" He asked though the smirk never left his face. They saw he was happy to see them.

"Surprise visit." Elena smiled. "What's wrong with Stefan?" She asked curiously as Stefan was still away from them.

"The reason we're out here is so Stefan can learn to control human blood." Damon explained and the three of them looked surprised though it made sense. "He hasn't fed yet so if you give us five minutes, I'll go get him fed then he'll be able to talk to you." He said to them and they nodded. "Though..." He turned his gaze to Bonnie and looked her up and down. "You're looking particularly warm, Bonnie." He smirked and her eyes widened. Before she could say anything he grabbed her and launched her at supernatural height and she went flying towards the lake and she _screamed_ the whole way there. Damon chuckled then sped into the water and caught her before she hit the water with a smirk. She looked up at him wide eyed from where he held her bridal style.

"Damon." She gasped in shock and he laughed. Damon could hear Caroline and Elena laughing.

"Feel like a dip?" Damon asked amused.

"Don't you dare!" She exclaimed and he laughed then dropped her into the water. She scrambled up and Damon grabbed his head in pain but it was still too funny so he was laughing throughout it. "You ass!" She yelled at him as she wiped the water from her face and everyone was laughing at this point.

"You suit the wet look." He winked at her and she rolled her eyes. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "I missed you, Judgy." He smiled and she chuckled a little. She had to admit the water thing was fun – even if she could only admit it to herself.

"Yeah, I might have missed you a tiny bit too." She said and he laughed then stepped around her and started to walk out of the water.

"You know..." He said turning his head over his shoulder to look at her as he walked. "You really shouldn't swim with all your clothes on." He teased and she glared at him though he heard Caroline and Stefan chuckle at that.

* * *

><p>Damon took Stefan inside the house, got him fed while the girls took out their bags. Damon told them they were welcome to stay there. He had two guest rooms so Caroline got one and Bonnie and Elena got the other. Stefan offered to sleep on the couch but the girls insisted they were fine. Stefan's room was the farthest from where Bonnie and Elena were so it would be okay.<p>

It was early afternoon when they arrived so the girls got changed into swimsuits and the five of them went into the lake. Damon tossed all the girls around the water and they all noticed that he was much freer now. He was happy so he wasn't being a jackass. Teasing yes, but not in any way mean. Stefan had fun with them too but he still kept a safe distance from Bonnie and Elena because he wasn't really used to being around humans anymore though the water was dampening their scent.

Damon was really glad that he sometimes liked human food otherwise he would have had to go into town to get dinner for the humans. He whipped up a quick spaghetti for dinner and the five of them sat out on the deck at the table and had dinner together.

"So what have you two been doing out here?" Caroline asked them and they chuckled.

"We built a boat and the garage and we're just starting to build a boat house to keep the boat in over the winter." Damon smirked.

"That and we've watched practically _every_ TV show ever made." Stefan said and they laughed.

"Stefan's really into Gossip Girl." Damon teased and the girls laughed loudly while Stefan rolled his eyes.

"You can't say _anything_ Mr I'm Obsessed with Desperate Housewives." Stefan said and the girls buckled over with laughter at that.

"Desperate Housewives is _way_ better than Gossip Girl." Damon said and they all laughed at that.

"No it isn't." Stefan defended.

"Whatever. Can we at least agree on Grey's Anatomy?" Damon cocked an eyebrow at him and Stefan thought about it.

"Yeah, okay." Stefan nodded and the girls were laughing hysterically.

"You two are sitting around watching chick TV shows?" Caroline asked with a grin and they both shrugged.

"We watched all the guy ones first." Damon replied.

"There are more chick shows than guy shows so we didn't have much choice." Stefan said and the three of them giggled.

"That's amazing." Bonnie laughed. "Have you watched 90210?" She asked them amused.

"I seriously hate Adrianna." Damon said and they laughed.

"She's just misunderstood, Damon." Stefan said and Damon rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, right. I'm seriously considering draining the actress _just_ so she doesn't have to be in it anymore." Damon muttered and they laughed. "Though Annie annoys the hell out of me too." He said and they laughed.

"Why do you watch it then?" Caroline giggled. They found it highly amusing that _Damon Salvatore_ watched 90210.

"Because the stupid writers write it so you just _have_ to know what happens next week." Damon muttered and they laughed loudly.

"Though it was so sad when Naomi lost the baby." Stefan said to Damon who rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, right. Max deserved so much better than Naomi." He said and they laughed. "Can you believe this is the crap we talk about now?" Damon asked them and they were shaking with laughter. "We have full on arguments about these ridiculous shows." He smirked and they laughed.

"You always hate all the best characters though." Stefan said and Damon sighed.

"And you always like the morons." Damon countered and they laughed while Stefan sighed loudly.

"Do you three watch Gossip Girl?" Stefan asked them and they laughed at him wanting to give an example.

"Yeah." Bonnie giggled.

"Damon _hates _Serena. I just... don't get it." Stefan said and Damon rolled his eyes.

"Serena is a self-centred whore who couldn't be more like Katherine if she tried. She isn't even that hot so I don't get why like _every_ guy in the show is into her." Damon countered and the girls were full on _giggling_ at Stefan and Damon arguing over Gossip Girl.

"Serena's a free spirit who just goes with her heart. It's not _her_ fault that they all love her." Stefan pointed out.

"She doesn't go with her heart Stefan. She goes with her crotch. Now Blair Waldorf, on the other hand, is my kind of girl." He smirked. "She's intelligent and interesting and the Queen of scheming. I think if I was going to marry a girl it would be her." He said and they were all laughing loudly at that while Stefan scowled at him.

"She's also manipulative and vengeful and cruel." Stefan said and Damon shook his head.

"Yeah, in the beginning, but as she grows up she grows out of that." Damon pointed out. "God, I can't _believe _we're arguing about this _again_." Damon muttered and they laughed.

"What the hell happened to the two of you?" Caroline asked amused.

"Cabin fever. I'm sure of it. We're slowly going insane." Damon sighed and they laughed. "That and you three better watch out, I haven't gotten laid in _far_ too long." He winked at the three of them who rolled their eyes at him.

"How is three weeks long?" Stefan asked him and Damon looked at him like he was crazy.

"I haven't gone that long in _years_." Damon scowled at him and the girls looked shocked. "Ooh, maybe I can break Judgy in." Damon teased and Bonnie glared at him while Caroline and Elena laughed in disbelief at Damon saying that.

"Too late." Elena chirped and Bonnie scowled at Elena while Damon's eyes widened with amusement.

"Well, well, well. That changes the game." Damon smirked.

"I'm going to kill you, Elena." Bonnie muttered and they chuckled.

"I won't bite..." Damon smirked. "Unless you want me to." He winked at Bonnie who glared.

"Are you into multiple aneurisms or something?" Bonnie asked him annoyed and he smirked at her choice of words.

"Well, Bonnie-bear... I could get into almost anything." Damon said amused and Bonnie blushed at the innuendo while the other three buckled over laughing at him.

"Did you set the TiVo?" Stefan asked Damon who rolled his eyes.

"Set your own Gossip Girl TiVo." Damon replied and the girls laughed.

"Excuse me." Stefan said then darted into the house while Damon looked amused.

"While you're at it do 'How I Met Your Mother'." Damon called after him and they laughed at him.

"You're both total TV Fanatics." Caroline giggled and he shrugged.

"Like I told you, Blondie, there isn't _that_ much to do in Montana." Damon smirked and they laughed. "Especially with Stefan being delicate at the moment." He shrugged.

"Delicate?" Elena asked and Damon nodded.

"He's doing really well but we're taking it slowly so there's no room to fuck it up." He replied.

"You two seem to be getting along well." Elena pointed out.

"We are. Though I still hate him a tiny bit because he forced me to watch Twilight." Damon said and the girls laughed.

"No way." Caroline giggled.

"Really?" Bonnie laughed and Damon nodded.

"_All_ of them." Damon muttered and they laughed. "He made me watch the first one out of curiosity then he was all like 'we need to know what happens next'." Damon rolled his eyes and they laughed. "He's totally into it. He made me go get him the books after he watched it." He mumbled and they laughed.

"Who's your favourite character?" Caroline asked him amused and Damon deadpanned.

"None of them. They're all beyond awful." He said and they laughed.

"Oh, c'mon. If you had to pick one character you like most, who would it be?" Bonnie asked amused.

"Charlie." He said and they laughed.

"Really?" Caroline giggled. "None of the vampires?" She asked and Damon shot her a look.

"_They_ are not vampires. They are pansies who sparkle and if they existed in real life I would slaughter them all." Damon said and they laughed loudly.

"Don't listen to him. He totally likes Alice." Stefan said as he came out of the house and Damon scowled at him.

"No I don't." He said.

"You said you'd overlook her being sparkly." Stefan pointed out and Damon rolled his eyes and the girls laughed.

"Stefan, I was drunk off my ass when I said that. I am currently sober." Damon replied and Stefan chuckled.

"Whatever you say, Damon." Stefan said amused as he sat down.

"Stefan's a proud supporter of the Team Jacob fan club." Damon chuckled and the girls laughed loudly.

"What?" Elena giggled. "Really?"

"I just think Edward's a tool." Stefan said and they laughed.

"Yeah, but so is Bella so they fit." Damon smirked. "Though if I was writing that story the ending would be an apocalypse where all of them died in a horrible and brutal way." He muttered and they laughed loudly.

"Have you watched any other vampire things?" Caroline asked amused.

"True Blood." Stefan replied.

"Pam." Damon grinned and they laughed.

"Jessica's better." Stefan said and Damon chuckled.

"Then _you_ have Jessica and I'll have Pam." Damon smirked and they laughed.

"They're fictional, Damon." Bonnie giggled.

"Not in my dreams she's not." Damon smirked and they laughed loudly. "I think I should go turn that actress then I can have my own Pam." He said amused and they laughed. "Though their fangs are stupid." He said and the girls giggled. "Ours at least are realistic." He muttered and they laughed.

"Yeah, but at least their eyes don't change." Caroline said and Damon looked at her confused.

"That looks totally hot though." Damon smirked and all of them looked at Damon like he was nuts. "What?" He asked confused.

"It looks monstrous." Stefan said and Damon rolled his eyes.

"We _are_ monsters, Stefan, not things out of fairy tales." Damon reminded him. "Though the only thing I like about the Twilight vampires are the red eyes." He said.

"Our eyes go red." Stefan pointed out.

"Yeah, but that's just bloodshot. That's not the pupils." He said.

"Your eyes go red?" Bonnie asked surprised. Damon let his face change and he leaned forward so Bonnie could see and she looked surprised. "I wouldn't say it looks monstrous, exactly." Bonnie said and Damon smirked.

"You think I look totally hot like this, don't you?" Damon teased pointing to his face and Caroline, Elena and Stefan laughed while Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, right." She said and Damon chuckled and let his face go back to normal.

"Your little racing heart says different." He winked at her and she narrowed her eyes at him and he grabbed his head in pain though he laughed anyway.

"That's from disgust, nothing else." She said and Damon chuckled.

"I believe you, Judgy." He winked at her and she glared at him while the others laughed.

"Are you ever going to stop calling me that?" Bonnie asked him annoyed and he chuckled.

"Are you ever going to stop being Judgy?" He asked amused and she scowled at him.

"I'm not judgemental." She said and Damon laughed.

"You so are." He said.

"Just because I object to innocents being slaughtered doesn't make me judgemental." She said and he chuckled.

"I don't tell you what to eat." Damon pointed out.

"Human food is totally different to innocent people." Bonnie replied.

"To a human, yes. Not to a vampire." Damon replied.

"But you _were_ human once." Bonnie pointed out and Damon nodded.

"That was a very long time ago. Everything on the planet kills to eat Bonnie. It's a big circle of life." Damon said and she faltered as she thought about that. "See? You never thought of it that way before." He pointed out.

"Well can't you like... kill paedophiles or something instead?" She asked and he smirked at her.

"Alright, Judgy." He nodded. "You want me to kill bad people in future instead of just randoms?" He said and she nodded. "Will that ease your conscience?" He asked her amused.

"_My_ conscience?" She asked confused.

"It really bugs you that you totally like me even though I've killed lots of people." He smirked at her and she scowled at him while the others chuckled at Bonnie's annoyed face.

"I do _not_ totally like you." She said and he laughed.

"Yeah, you do. You wouldn't have come all the way to Montana for a visit if you didn't." He winked at her and she glared at him.

"I just went with Elena and Caroline. _They_ wanted to visit you." Bonnie said and Damon chuckled.

"Mmhmm." Damon nodded. "Did you know that when humans lie their heartbeat changes slightly?" He asked her with a smirk and she scowled at him.

"I hate you." She said and he chuckled.

"Lie." He said and they all laughed at Bonnie's irritated face.

"I swear I'll set you on fire." She warned and he smirked.

"Lie." He said and they laughed loudly.

"I never noticed before how much you two flirt." Elena said and Caroline, Stefan and Damon laughed while Bonnie looked horrified.

"I'm not flirting!" She exclaimed.

"Lie." Caroline said and they laughed loudly at that.

"I hate vampires." Bonnie mumbled.

"That one was true." Stefan smirked and they laughed. "Though, Damon, you really shouldn't flirt with Bonnie so much given your recent 'discovery'." Stefan teased with an amused smile while doing air quotations and Damon chuckled.

"Judgy is totally hot, why wouldn't I flirt with her?" He asked amused while Bonnie blushed.

"What was your discovery?" Elena asked curiously.

"Damon's decided that he's going to marry Caroline." Stefan said and Caroline's jaw dropped while Bonnie and Elena giggled.

"What?" She exclaimed and they laughed. Damon just looked highly amused.

"Mmhmm." Damon nodded.

"You are joking, right?" Caroline asked dryly and Damon smirked.

"Nope. You're mine Barbie doll." He said amused and she glared at him.

"That'll never happen." She said and he laughed.

"Oh, but it will." He replied.

"You can't just decide to marry me." Caroline said annoyed and he nodded.

"I'm going to get all the sex and partying out of my system then I'll totally make you fall in love with me. You'll see." Damon winked at her and she rolled her eyes while the others laughed.

"And how are you going to do that?" Caroline asked wryly and he smirked.

"You're just going to have to wait and see." He replied amused.

"You two really are going nuts out here, huh?" Caroline asked and the brothers laughed.

"He liked you before we left Mystic Falls though." Stefan smirked at Caroline who looked shocked.

"What?" She asked in disbelief and Damon and Stefan chuckled.

"We have all of eternity, Barbie. I'll wait until you like me back." He said amused and they laughed.

"Then you'll be waiting forever." Caroline replied and he chuckled.

"We have forever." He smirked.

"_Anyway_." Caroline said with a pointed look at Damon and he laughed. "Where are you two going after this?" She pointed to the cabin.

"Vegas." Stefan replied.

"Why didn't you go there first?" Bonnie asked curiously and Damon laughed.

"Can't go to Vegas without eating a few showgirls." Damon said amused and her jaw dropped in shock then Stefan and Damon laughed at her horrified expression.

"That's terrible." Elena said just as shocked.

"We're not going to kill them, calm down." Damon said amused. "Hence the blood training for Steffy." He said and Stefan rolled his eyes. "Besides, Stefan and I have a deal. No killing and no brooding." He smirked.

"So you're not going to kill _anyone_?" Bonnie perked up and Damon chuckled.

"Not while we're travelling together. If I want to kill someone I'll just ditch him for a while." Damon said amused and Bonnie deadpanned making him laugh. "You and I have a deal, Bonnie." Damon pointed out and she looked confused, especially at him using her name.

"What deal?" She asked.

"_You _are going to stop being Judgy and _I_ am going to kill bad humans instead of innocents." He smirked and she rolled her eyes.

"We never actually shook on that." She said and he laughed.

"Alright, Judgy. I'll kill kids instead." He winked at her and Bonnie and Elena looked horrified while Caroline and Stefan were trying not to laugh. They knew Damon would never kill kids.

"No!" She exclaimed and he laughed.

"Little toddlers and babies." Damon teased and Bonnie looked truly _horrified_ as did Elena.

"That's so terrible!" Bonnie exclaimed and he laughed.

"Damon, stop it." Stefan chuckled and Damon laughed.

"You know I'm teasing you, right?" Damon asked Bonnie amused. "I've never killed a kid." He said and Bonnie actually looked surprised and obviously relieved. "You're just easy to mess with." He winked at her and she scowled at him.

"Joking about killing kids isn't funny." She said to him.

"Yeah but your facial expressions were." He said amused.

"Can we go home now?" Bonnie asked Elena annoyed and the Salvatores laughed.

"Leaving so soon, Bonnie-bear? But the fun has just begun." Damon winked at her and she glared at him while the others laughed.

"Damon." Stefan said softly and Damon looked at him.

"Hungry?" Damon asked him and Stefan nodded. "C'mon." He said standing up. "Five minutes." Damon said to the girls then the boys disappeared into the house.

"They're so different." Elena said to the other two quietly and they both nodded.

"I don't think Damon's ever talked so much." Caroline said and they laughed.

"Them watching all those shows is hilarious though." Elena giggled.

"I can totally imagine the two of them yelling at the TV when things happen that they don't like." Caroline said and they laughed.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yes, I am aware that Gossip Girl and HIMYM do not run in June but in my story they do just so it works.**


	4. Chapter 4

I don't own The Vampire Diaries, I'm just a fan :)

* * *

><p>Choosing Each Other<p>

Chapter 4

* * *

><p>Later that evening, Stefan talked Damon into starting season two of The O.C. which had the girls highly amused considering they'd obviously watched season one. They watched the episode and the girls were laughing at the Salvatores' commentary throughout the episode considering they argued about like <em>everything<em>. At the end of the first episode both Damon and Stefan's jaws dropped.

"That bitch!" Damon exclaimed and the girls laughed.

"He gave up his whole life for her! How could she do that to him!" Stefan added.

"She did it so Ryan could have a life." Bonnie pointed out.

"It's his kid. He has a right to know." Damon argued. "Dammit. Now he'll just go back to that psycho Marissa." He muttered and they laughed.

"What's wrong with Marissa?" Elena asked and Damon scowled at her and Stefan rolled his eyes.

"Not again." Stefan muttered.

"What's _right_ with her? She's a total slut and a psycho and Ryan deserves better." Damon said and they laughed loudly at Damon acting like this.

"How can _you_ call her a slut and a psycho?" Bonnie teased him and he shot her a look.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked confused.

"You kill people and sleep with everyone. You kind of can't talk about Marissa." Bonnie pointed out and Damon rolled his eyes dramatically.

"Yeah but _I'm_ not trying to date Ryan, am I?" Damon asked her dryly and they buckled over with laughter at that.

"That could be kind of hot." Caroline teased and Damon chuckled.

"Blondie's into guy on guy?" Damon smirked. "I'll have to remember that." He said amused and the girls looked at him stunned.

"_You_ would do that?" Bonnie asked shocked and he shrugged.

"Like I told you earlier, Judgy, I could get into almost anything." Damon said to her amused and all three girls' jaws dropped.

"Have you slept with a guy before?" Elena asked shocked and he chuckled.

"Aren't you nosy?" Damon asked amused.

"Put on the next episode." Stefan said and Damon picked up the remote and put it on.

"Don't you think Julie looks like Kelly Donovan?" Damon asked and they laughed.

"Oh my God. She really does." Elena said shocked.

"She was hot." Damon commented and the three girls looked at him confused. "What?" He asked.

"Matt's _mom_?" Elena asked him with a grimace and he chuckled.

"If you hadn't brought Mutt over to the house that night I would have totally had my way with her." Damon said amused.

"But she's... Matt's _mom_." Caroline said with distaste and Damon shrugged.

"Chicks are chicks. Even if they're cougars." Damon smirked and they rolled their eyes at him.

"That and she _was_ pretty hot." Stefan said and Damon laughed while the girls looked at Stefan shocked. Shocked that _Stefan_ would say something like that.

"But she's like 45." Bonnie said confused and Damon chuckled.

"Yeah and I've been 19 for 146 years. Who the hell cares?" He asked amused.

"You were only 19 when you turned?" Caroline asked surprised and Damon nodded.

"How old did you think I was?" He smirked.

"Mid twenties." Elena replied and Stefan laughed.

"Nice." Stefan said amused.

"Are you kidding?" Damon asked shocked.

"Though, you don't look seventeen either Stefan." Caroline pointed out.

"That's true." Elena nodded.

"You really thought I was like 25?" Damon asked horrified and they laughed.

"What's the deal?" Elena asked amused.

"That's just great." Damon muttered and crossed his arms over his chest then scowled at the TV and they all laughed at him going in a mood.

* * *

><p>Damon's mood didn't change for the rest of the evening and he was practically <em>silent<em>. They were all surprised at how obviously affected by the age thing he was. The girls went to bed then Damon left the house and went to sulk in the woods. Stefan found him later sitting leaning against a tree with a bottle of whiskey.

"What's wrong?" Stefan asked as he sat down across from Damon. They didn't know that Caroline had followed and was eavesdropping on their conversation from a distance.

"25, Stefan. Twenty fucking five." Damon said.

"What does it matter? You _were_ nineteen when we turned." Stefan said and Damon scowled at him.

"It _matters_ because when I met Caroline she was seventeen." Damon said surprising Stefan. Caroline was _shocked_ that Damon was upset because of her.

"So what?" He asked.

"So what? Are you joking? They all thought I was 25 with a seventeen year old!" Damon exclaimed and Stefan sighed. "So clearly I'm just too old." Damon said sadly.

"You're still nineteen in the head, Damon. You fought for two years in the civil war. That was bound to have aged you physically." Stefan pointed out. Caroline was shocked at that. She didn't know he'd fought in the war.

"That's not the point though is it? The point is I'm too old for the girl I want." Damon said and Caroline's jaw dropped at that. He _actually_ wanted her?

"Caroline doesn't look seventeen though." Stefan pointed out.

"That's not the point either, Stefan. There's a big difference between being flirty and being 'that old pervy guy'. So apparently, that's me." Damon said and Stefan sighed.

"You're nineteen forever, Damon. She's eighteen forever. What's the big deal?" Stefan asked.

"The big deal is that she's eighteen and I look TWENTY FUCKING FIVE!" Damon yelled at him and Stefan shot him a look.

"Don't yell at me. I didn't say that." Stefan pointed out and Damon deflated.

"Sorry." Damon muttered.

"Now she knows your nineteen. So problem solved." Stefan said and Damon shook his head.

"Yes, the problem _is_ solved." Damon nodded and Stefan looked confused.

"What does that mean?" He asked.

"It means that I'm just going to have to give up on the idea of trying to win over Caroline." He said and Stefan's jaw dropped.

"What? But you can't." Stefan said shocked and Damon shrugged.

"I just have to. Whatever. I'll just be single forever. It's better that way." Damon mumbled.

"It took you 165 years to find a girl that you want to be with properly. You didn't even want Katherine exclusively." Stefan said and Caroline nearly fell over in shock.

"Yeah but Katherine was really just about sex and becoming a vampire. It's not like there was anything more to it." Damon muttered.

"Exactly, so you can't just give up on Caroline." Stefan said and Damon sighed.

"Doesn't matter anyway, Stefan. You heard what she said earlier. She said it would never happen." He said. "It's my own fault that she feels that way. She'll always just see me as a monster and I deserve that." He added sadly. Caroline was stunned at everything she was hearing. She'd never heard Damon talk this way before.

"Damon." Stefan said then put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Why don't you just let her get to know you?" He asked.

"Just drop it, Stefan. It doesn't make a difference." He replied.

"What happened to no brooding?" Stefan asked with a small smirk and Damon shrugged.

"I'm not brooding, I'm wallowing. There's a difference." He muttered. "So can you just let me wallow in peace, please?" He asked.

"Just come back to the house with me." Stefan said. "I don't feel comfortable being there alone with Bonnie and Elena." He said.

"That's bull, Stefan. You've had plenty of blood and I watched you all night. It didn't bother you at all. Just go to bed and don't think about it." Damon replied and Stefan sighed.

"You're being ridiculous, Damon. You're nineteen. Who cares if you look a little older than that? I probably look mid-twenties too." He said and Damon shot him a look.

"That's not the point either!" Damon exclaimed.

"Then make your point." Stefan said.

"I just... It's just normal for me to find seventeen, eighteen and nineteen year olds attractive because I still see myself as nineteen... but... other people don't see me as nineteen... so there's obviously... something wrong with me." Damon said as he stared into his bottle.

"There's nothing wrong with that, Damon. I don't feel any older either." He said.

"I hate being a vampire." Damon said softly and his tone betrayed how upset he really was. Caroline was stunned at Damon of all people saying that.

"No, you don't." Stefan said soothingly.

"Yes, I do, Stefan. You know I love you but I don't want to be alone anymore... and now I always will be. I can't be with someone similar to my age because I look too old but I can't be with someone who looks my age because I'm too young in the head for them." He said. "If it's not one thing it's another." Caroline was stunned at Damon telling Stefan he loved him.

"Is this all because Elena said she thought you were mid-twenties?" Stefan asked confused.

"Like I give a fuck what Elena thinks. I have no idea why she thought it was a good idea to visit us. It's not like either of us have had _any_ contact with her. Why the hell did she come with Bonnie and Caroline? Can we just compel her to fuck off already?" Damon asked Stefan annoyed and Caroline's jaw dropped at that.

"You can't compel her to fuck off, Damon. That's rude." Stefan said.

"It's not like you want to see her either, Stef." Damon pointed out.

"I know but she's friends with Bonnie and Caroline so if we want to stay in touch with them we just have to accept that they're friends with Elena." He replied and Damon rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. I'm going to stop contact with Bonnie anyway." He said.

"Why?" Stefan asked shocked.

"Because this 25 thing is really fucking with me. I promised Caroline she'd always have a way to contact me since I'm technically her sire so I can't just cut contact with her but I can do that with Bonnie." Damon said and Stefan sighed.

"You're overreacting, Damon." Stefan said.

"No, I'm not Stefan. I might be a lot of things, a killer, monstrous, whatever... but I'm not... like... some old guy that looks at young girls and that's what people think of me. I can't deal with that." Damon said and Stefan was shocked to see Damon's eyes tearing up. "I'm nineteen, Stef. I'm supposed to be young and stupid like any other teenager... but now I can't be. I have to be twenty fucking five because that's what I look like." Damon said emotionally as a tear streamed town his face. "It's just the last straw." Damon said and he tried really hard to get control over himself but he couldn't so he put his hand over his eyes and leaned into it and Stefan finally realised what Damon was getting at. Stefan moved over to him and hugged him.

"It's okay, Damon. Nobody thinks anything bad like that." Stefan said soothingly as he rubbed his back. Caroline saw that they were hugging and she saw Damon was really upset and she felt so shocked. She understood now why Damon was so upset about the age thing. She really wanted to run over and tell him that there was nothing wrong with him but she knew he'd be angry at her eavesdropping. So she decided to go back to the house instead. She had a _lot_ to think about anyway. She'd thought he was kidding earlier when he was joking about marrying her. She hadn't realised that he _actually_ had feelings for her... Just like she'd always wanted him to.

* * *

><p>Damon and Stefan were now used to getting up early to do their building work so they were the first up and they went out to their work bench and got started. Stefan was sanding wood while Damon was carving designs into the door of the boathouse that he'd made. Stefan noticed that he was still quiet and he was shocked that something had gotten to his brother so much though he understood what had Damon so upset. He just didn't know how to snap Damon out of it because there wasn't anything wrong with him. The girls wandered outside midmorning and saw Damon and Stefan just in shorts as they worked. Damon was so lost in his thoughts and busy concentrating, he hadn't even noticed them coming out of the house.<p>

"Hey." Bonnie said and the two of them looked over.

"Morning." Stefan smiled at them while Damon just saluted then went back to what he was doing. "Do you want some breakfast?" Stefan asked them.

"That would be great thanks." Elena grinned.

"Damon, go make some pancakes, will you?" Stefan asked his brother. Damon scowled at him then turned to the girls.

"Do you want that? Or something else?" He asked them though they could all tell that something was still bothering him.

"You can cook?" Bonnie asked curiously and he nodded. He wanted to make some comment about the fact she'd shoveled down his spaghetti the night before but he refrained. "Pancakes sound great." She agreed.

"Alright." Damon said then stood up and walked into the house without looking at them. Bonnie looked at him confused. No sarcasm, no quips, nothing. The girls followed him inside and sat at the breakfast bar and just watched. He whipped up the batter at vampire speed so it would be done quicker then started pouring the batter into the frying pan.

"So what is there to do around here?" Elena asked Damon.

"There's the lake, you can take the boat out if you want, there's an animal park if you follow the road to the left when you drive out of here; if you follow the right road it takes you to the local town. There's a mall there, bars, a carnival and some other stuff. Past the animal park is a place where you can hire quad bikes if you want to check out the mountains. About twenty minutes away is a larger town that has a nightclub and just more stuff to do. Depends what you feel like doing." Damon mumbled with his back to them. They were surprised (and disappointed) that he'd pulled on a t-shirt before starting the breakfast.

"What animals do they have at the animal park?" Caroline asked and he shrugged.

"Don't know, haven't been there." Damon replied and the girls glanced at each other. He was acting really not Damon-like.

"Guess you haven't been to the carnival then either?" Bonnie asked.

"You would be right, Bonnie." Damon replied.

"Well what do _you_ feel like doing?" Elena asked curiously and he shrugged.

"I'm just going to finish the door today." He replied. "Though after Stefan's fed he can take you three into town and show you around if you want." He said.

"Will he be okay without you there?" Elena asked and Damon nodded as he flipped the pancakes.

"He'll be fine." Damon replied. "We're just being cautious. He doesn't want to kill anyone so it's taking a while so he won't."

"What's the nightclub like?" Caroline asked.

"Fairly small but it's the only one in the area so it's always packed every night." Damon replied. "Music varies depending on the night." Bonnie decided to test the waters. She thought she could maybe force a snarky comment out of him.

"Any hot guys there?" Bonnie asked curiously and Caroline understood what she was doing but Elena looked at her confused.

"I guess it depends what you like." He shrugged and the three girls' jaws dropped at the fact he had a _perfect_ opportunity to make some kind of joke but he didn't. Damon understood what she was doing too but he was far too glum to rise to the occasion and give her some remark like she wanted.

"Well if you're finishing the door during the day, would you be up for the nightclub tonight?" Caroline asked curiously. Damon wanted to say no but he realised he was being a jackass to them after they'd travelled all the way across the country to visit.

"If you want to." He replied with a shrug.

* * *

><p>After breakfast, the girls and Stefan left the cabin and went into town. They'd driven a couple miles away when Caroline 'remembered' that she forgot her purse so she would run and get it and just get them in town. Nobody thought anything of it. Caroline was kind of forgetful by nature. Bonnie had asked Stefan what was up with Damon and Stefan just replied 'Damon being Damon' and didn't elaborate. Caroline sped back to the house and stood watching Damon carve the door. He was back to being shirtless and she thought he looked very sexy being all man-like with the building and whatever. She started to walk over to him and his head snapped to the side.<p>

"I thought you left." Damon said confused and she shrugged.

"I changed my mind. I figured I'd hang out with you instead." She replied and he cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Why?" He asked sceptically and she shrugged again.

"Elena's kind of driving me crazy so I wanted a break." She said and Damon chuckled.

"Fair enough." He replied.

"Want some help?" She asked as she reached him. She looked down at the door and was blown away by how intricate the patterns and detailing were. "Wow. You're really good at that." She said impressed with a smile.

"Thank you." He replied.

"Damon... what's wrong?" She asked him softly and he looked up at her.

"Nothing, why?" He asked.

"You've just been different since last night." She said concerned and he shrugged but didn't give her an answer. "If it makes a difference, I would say not a day older than 21." She said and he chuckled.

"It's sweet of you to lie to make me feel better but it doesn't matter." He replied.

"I'm not lying. When we met, that's how old I thought you were." She admitted and he looked up at her sceptically. She saw the question. "Yes, really." She replied. "So when is this plan of yours starting? You know, so I can prepare myself." She smirked and he looked confused.

"What plan?" He asked and she chuckled.

"Your supposed big plan to make me fall in love with you." She said and he smirked.

"I'm not doing that anymore." He replied and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Why not?" She asked and he chuckled.

"You said it was never going to happen." He pointed out and she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, because I thought you were just joking around like always." She said and he looked surprised.

"You're too young for me." He said and she rolled her eyes _again_.

"Don't be ridiculous, Salvatore." She said.

"How am I being ridiculous?" He asked amused.

"Just because you've lived for like a million years doesn't change the fact that you're nineteen. Just like when I've lived as long as you have, I'll still be eighteen. So the 'too young' excuse is bogus. Next." She nodded. Damon stared at her then.

"Next?" He asked.

"Next excuse. Go ahead." She said and he chuckled.

"It's not bogus. Don't you think I look too old? Elena said I look twenty five." He grimaced and she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah? And Elena also fucked a 39 year old trucker last month thinking he was 24. Elena has no concept of age." Caroline said and Damon laughed at that.

"A trucker? Really?" He laughed and Caroline giggled.

"Yeah, in the truck cabin and everything." Caroline smirked and he laughed.

"That's funny. But don't tell Stefan that. He'll be totally pissed that she got laid before he did." Damon smirked.

"Plus, I've been told I look like I'm in my early twenties, so what's the problem?" She smirked. "You can be 23 and I'll be 21." She winked at him and he couldn't help a small smile at that. He did feel a little better.

"You're cute." He smirked and she laughed.

"Cute?" She asked amused. "By the way, I was a very good little Blondie." She teased and he laughed at her saying that. He saw that she was trying to cheer him up and it _was_ working.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked amused.

"You said that you'd take me out on the boat if I was good." She reminded him with a devious little smile and he laughed at the memory.

"What are you doing, Caroline?" He asked her and she saw that he didn't get it.

"Do you _actually_ like me Damon? Or is it some kind of game?" She asked.

"It's not a game." He replied honestly and she smiled. She knew she was being kind of forward but after hearing what he said the night before she knew he _actually_ liked her so she didn't mind being a little bold. She reached up with her hand to touch his cheek then leaned forward and kissed him. She pulled back to see his reaction and his surprise was evident. "What was that for?" He asked.

"It is _possible_ that I like you back already." She said and he smiled.

"Even though you said I'd be waiting forever?" He asked cocking an eyebrow.

"I thought you were teasing me." She said and he shook his head.

"I wasn't." He replied and she thought about that.

"Good. Then stop being all quiet and lame and go back to your normal scandalous self because you're weirding everyone out." She smirked and he rolled his eyes.

"Fine." He said. He'd missed her bluntness.

"So are you taking me out on the boat or what?" She asked and he chuckled.

"What about the door?" He asked and she giggled.

"The door will still be here when we get back." She replied.

* * *

><p>They walked down the bank of the lake until they got to the little jetty that the boat was tied to. Caroline was impressed that they actually <em>built<em> that though she laughed when Damon told her that they'd sunk it twice before they got it right. He helped her into it then rowed them out into the middle of the lake. Caroline saw the fishing poles in the boat and asked about them. Damon told her that he and Stefan went out fishing sometimes and she asked him to teach her and he agreed. Caroline internally thought being out on a row boat was very romantic but she didn't say that in case it spooked Damon or something. She moved to sit on the bottom of the boat and put her legs up on the side and Damon chuckled at her being random. She told him to try it because it was comfortable. Really, she just wanted him to move closer to her. He complied and sat beside her and they watched the scenery.

"It's really beautiful here." Caroline said as she watched birds diving for fish. "What made you choose to get a house here?" She asked and he sighed.

"It's so... untouched out here. Humans haven't destroyed this place yet so the natural beauty is still there. There aren't too many places left like that in the world." He said and she nodded her agreement.

"Think you'll stay here for a while?" She asked.

"It just depends on Stefan. He's doing really well but it might end up being winter before we can leave. I want him to be able to feed from the source with no problems before we leave here." He said.

"Is it working though? Is he controlling it?" Caroline asked and Damon nodded.

"He's doing well. It's hard for him because on human blood he's used to being a ripper. I'm happy you're here but the other two coming wasn't the best for Stefan's progress." Damon admitted and Caroline looked surprised.

"You're happy I'm here?" She asked him as she turned her head to look at him and he smirked.

"Mmhmm." He replied and she smiled then leaned her head forward and kissed him again. This time, he kissed her back. It was a slow and soft kiss and after a few moments Damon cupped her cheek and deepened it. He was getting serious flutters from this kiss and he had to admit he liked being out on the lake with her. He was still kind of weirded out by the 25 thing but Caroline had made it a bit better by everything she said. He moved his arm over her shoulders and pulled her a little closer... then he had a thought and pulled away to look at her. "How long are you staying?" He asked her.

"Our flight back is in five days." She replied and was internally pleased when he frowned.

"Then what?" He asked.

"Well, graduation is next week." She said. "That's why we're going back in five days." She said and he nodded.

"And after that?" He asked.

"The three of us are going to Europe for three weeks after graduation. Then we're back in Mystic Falls for just over a month then it's off to college." She said and he nodded.

"Are you going to college with Bonnie and Elena?" He asked.

"I'm going to CU and they're going to UCLA but we're all sharing an apartment." Caroline replied.

"Are you going to have any time to see _me_?" He asked her bluntly and she smiled.

"Well... There's six weeks between Europe and college." She pointed out. "I can come back here if you want me to." She said. "Then when Stefan's got better control you can come visit me in California." She added. She noticed that he still had his arm over her shoulders and she liked it.

"Stefan has a house in California." Damon smirked.

"Where?" She asked curiously.

"Malibu Beach. It's _enormous_ actually. I have no idea what on earth he needs a house that big for but hey." Damon shrugged. "He's had it for decades. Guess he got a good deal." Damon smirked and Caroline laughed.

"Is there any chance of you and Stefan heading there after his control is good?" Caroline asked curiously.

"To live in California?" Damon asked amused and she nodded. He was seriously pleased that she obviously wanted him around. "Hmm... It depends." He replied.

"On what?" She asked.

"My reason for doing so." He said and her stomach fluttered a little at that. "So... why don't you come back here for a little while after you've been to Europe then we'll talk about California." He said and she nodded with a smile.


	5. Chapter 5

I don't own The Vampire Diaries, I'm just a fan :)

* * *

><p>Choosing Each Other<p>

Chapter 5

* * *

><p>When Stefan, Elena and Bonnie came back to the cabin in the early afternoon they found Damon teaching Caroline how to carve the door. Internally, Stefan was really pleased at that. He should have figured that Caroline could snap him out of his mood since Damon looked happy again.<p>

"Hey!" Caroline smiled and waved at them as they got out of the car.

"What the hell is that?" Damon asked pointing to what Caroline had just been doing.

"A butterfly." She replied amused and he arched an eyebrow at her.

"A butterfly." He said like he couldn't understand. "What the hell did you put a butterfly on my door for?" He asked and she laughed. Bonnie and Elena glanced at each other confused as Damon seemed back to normal.

"I thought it would be better than carving 'Caroline was here'." She smiled and he chuckled at that. He liked the thought of marking the door with her presence in all honesty.

"You're a little weirdo, Blondie." He said amused. "But, that's a terrible butterfly. If you're seriously leaving a butterfly on my door, at least make it look nice." He said and she giggled.

"Okay." She replied. "What do you suggest to make it better?" She asked and he looked at it then leaned over next to her and pointed.

"Lengthen this, thicken that, add more detail to the wings and it should be better." He said and she smiled. "But if you want it to be nice you need to do it bit by bit instead of taking big chunks out of the door." He teased and she playfully nudged him.

"They aren't chunks." She defended and he chuckled.

"God, I'm going to have to start all over again." He smirked at her and she laughed.

"No, you won't. It'll be the best butterfly ever. Gimme." She said taking the carver from him and he chuckled then sat down and watched her concentrate on her carving.

"Take your time, Barbie." He commented with a smirk and she shot him a look for that comment which amused him. Stefan, Elena and Bonnie went into the house since their presence was being totally ignored. About ten minutes later, Caroline stepped back to survey her butterfly and frowned.

"Okay... you're right. It _is_ a terrible butterfly." She said and he chuckled.

"Yeah, it kind of is." He agreed amused. "You should have drawn it up before carving." He smirked and she sighed.

"Can you fix it?" She asked him and he looked at it. He didn't want to fix it.

"Nah." He replied and she looked at him confused.

"But the rest of the door is perfect. You can't just leave an ugly butterfly on a perfect door." She said to him and he stood up.

"I'm not changing it because _you_ did it." He said to her sincerely.

"What do you mean?" She asked and her confusion was evident.

"I mean that I want to keep it the way it is because it was you that put it there." He said to her with a smirk and her stomach fluttered and she couldn't help a small smile from appearing. "Who wants a perfect door anyway?" He asked her amused and she laughed.

"Uh... everyone?" She asked amused and he chuckled.

"It's perfect in it's own way." He replied and she smiled.

"You're being awfully sweet, Salvatore." She replied and he chuckled then kissed her cheek.

"All part of the plan." He winked at her and she smiled.

"So you're doing the plan now?" She asked and he smirked.

"Want me to?" He asked cocking an eyebrow.

"Mmhmm." She nodded.

"Then I will. But not yet." He replied and she gave him a confused look.

"Why's that?" She asked.

"Because you're leaving in five days then I won't see you again for at least a month and a half." He pointed out. "Besides, what I have in mind is long term so it would be beneficial for you to have as much fun as possible before then." He said and her stomach fluttered again. She understood what he was saying. She understood that he didn't want her to regret anything.

* * *

><p>Bonnie and Elena suspected nothing. Stefan knew of course because Damon didn't lie or keep anything from him anymore. Damon figured Caroline didn't want Bonnie and Elena to know because they'd be full of opinions and lectures on it all. That was fine with him. He didn't really feel like hearing their opinions and lectures either. It was kind of exciting since they were sneaking kisses when nobody was looking. They hung out together at night after Bonnie and Elena went to sleep but they hadn't done more than kiss. The night before the girls were leaving, Damon and Caroline went back out on the boat and sat the way they had before the first time they went out on it. Damon taught the girls to fish though Elena already knew how and wasn't really all that interested in it. The lake was beautiful at night and they sat there next to each other and Damon had his arm over her shoulders.<p>

"I can't believe we're already leaving tomorrow. The week flew by. I don't want to go." Caroline commented and Damon kissed her cheek.

"Then don't." He replied and she looked at him surprised.

"You _want_ me to stay?" She asked and he nodded.

"I do. But I know you can't yet." He replied. "You need to go to your graduation and spend time with your friends. I have forever to see you. They don't." He said and she nodded. "You're also eighteen. There are so many things you haven't done yet." He said and she smirked.

"I haven't had sex in a boat." She teased and he turned to look at her amused.

"Would you _like_ to have sex in a boat?" He asked her and she giggled.

"Maybe." She replied and he smirked. He moved her onto his lap to straddle him then kissed her. She weaved her fingers through his hair and he held onto her tightly.

"You sure about this?" He asked as he pulled away minutes later. "Because if I don't stop now, I won't." He said and she smiled.

"Then don't stop." She said and he chuckled then faster than she could register, her back was on the bottom of the boat and Damon was above her. She pulled him down to her and kissed him.

* * *

><p>"So? How was sex in a boat?" Damon asked amused as Caroline lay nestled in his arms at his side. She laughed a little.<p>

"Awesome." She replied and he chuckled.

"Agreed." He said and she smiled.

"Won't Stefan be pissed at us violating the boat?" She asked and he laughed.

"Stefan and I are best friends again – but I don't have to tell him _everything_." He said and she giggled.

"Fair enough. Can you do something for me?" She asked and he cocked an eyebrow at that.

"What?" He asked.

"Can you _not_ have sex with anyone else in this boat?" She asked and he chuckled. He liked that she wanted it to just be _their_ thing.

"I won't." He replied. "Can you do something for me?" He asked and she smiled.

"What?" She asked.

"Can you _not_ fall in love with someone else?" He asked and her stomach fluttered.

"I won't." She replied. He smiled and kissed her for that.

* * *

><p>"I thought we agreed on no brooding." Stefan said and Damon scowled at him.<p>

"Then go kill someone." He muttered and Stefan laughed at him admitting it.

"You didn't want her to go." Stefan said amused and Damon downed his drink.

"I didn't want her to go." He agreed.

"You know she's a romantic, right?" Stefan asked.

"What's your point?" Damon asked as he turned to look at his brother.

"She probably would have stayed if you'd asked her to." Stefan replied and Damon sighed.

"I wouldn't do that to her. Not yet." He replied.

"Are you in love, Damon?" Stefan asked amused and Damon shrugged.

"I don't know yet." He mumbled as he refilled his drink. "Can we stop talking about this?" He asked annoyed and Stefan smirked.

"Want to get drunk and finish season two of The O.C.?" Stefan asked and Damon sighed again. What had his life become?

"Yeah, alright." He said and Stefan chuckled.

* * *

><p>About a week after the girls left, Damon and Stefan were sitting watching TV when Damon decided that Stefan was doing well enough to make another change. It was 'dinner time' so Damon went upstairs to his safe in his room where he kept the blood bags and grabbed two of them. Stefan had gone from one blood bag a day and one bottle of animal blood to two bags and one bottle of animal blood. Damon sauntered back downstairs and sat down on the couch and tossed him the bag. Stefan looked at him confused.<p>

"That's not animal blood." He pointed out and Damon chuckled.

"Your powers of perception astound me." Damon smirked as he opened his own bag and started to sip it.

"Damon." Stefan said seriously looking for an explanation.

"You're doing really well, Stef, so we're starting the 'all human' part of the process." Damon replied and Stefan looked surprised.

"No animal blood at all?" He asked a little wide eyed and Damon nodded.

"You're ready." Damon replied. "You did great when the girls were here and I've been watching you since they left and drinking it doesn't faze you at all so there's no point in continuing the animal blood part when you're ready to let it go." He shrugged as he sipped his own.

"What's after this then?" Stefan asked as he opened the bag and sipped.

"This is what you'll continue for a few more weeks until it doesn't bother you at all. Then after that, I'll start getting you fresh blood." He said and Stefan looked confused.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"As in I'll go find a human, drain some of their blood into like a thermos, and you'll start drinking that." Damon shrugged and Stefan looked surprised. "That'll be a little harder for you than the bags but it's better you're used to the taste of fresh blood before we get you to source feed." He said.

"But I can't stop." Stefan said to him slightly worriedly and Damon smirked at him.

"_Can't_ is not a word that you are allowed to use anymore." Damon said. "You'll be fine, Stef. My method's worked so far, right?" He asked and Stefan nodded. He had a point. "I'm not going to take you hunting until I _know_ you can do it." He pointed out.

"Okay." Stefan agreed.

"But don't think about that yet. That won't be for a while." Damon said and Stefan nodded.

"So I don't get nervous... can you tell me exactly _how _you plan on getting me to be able to fresh feed?" Stefan asked and Damon shrugged.

"You'll learn like a baby vampire. Like how I taught Caroline." Damon replied. "At first, you'll feed from the wrist since there's a smaller blood flow. Instead of paying attention to the blood, I'll get you to concentrate on the heart beat so that when it slows, _that_ will be when you stop. I'll do the bite so that you have to drink with your human face and not your vampire one. It will be a very clinical experience so that you focus on that instead of the blood. You'll be a little bit drunk the first few times so that your senses are dampened. I'll chat to you about a bunch of crap so that you're thinking about something else. It's _just_ blood, Stef. And just think of all the fun we can have once you're in control." Damon grinned and Stefan chuckled.

"It sounds okay, the way you explained it. I don't feel nervous about it now." He said and Damon nodded.

"Good." He smiled. "Besides, you'll be completely used to the taste of fresh warm blood by the time we go hunting so it won't be a shock." He said.

"Okay." Stefan agreed. "Wait – what do you mean all the fun we can have?" Stefan asked and Damon smirked.

"You, my little brother, need to get laid." Damon replied and Stefan rolled his eyes. "All these years you got your kicks from blood but since it's _just _blood, you'll need to learn to get your kicks elsewhere. And once human blood doesn't faze you at all anymore then you'll realise the _real_ downfall of the vampire condition is just how horny you are _all the time_." He said amused.

"So your plan is to turn me into you." Stefan replied deadpan and Damon laughed.

"No. You're never going to have _my _sex drive but you've had a fairly crappy vampire experience so it's about time you enjoyed yourself a little, don't you think?" He asked. "Without the fear of killing the girls?" He added.

"I guess but I'm not into that whole group sex thing that you're into." Stefan pointed out and Damon laughed.

"I'm not trying to turn you into me, Stefan. I'm trying to turn you into you. Fun Stefan who can _live_ for once. Who can do whatever the hell he wants because the blood no longer controls him. See my point?" He asked and Damon saw Stefan's expression change to one of hope.

"I do see your point. This really is going to give me freedom." He said softly and Damon nodded.

"But I will say this, Stef. I know we agreed not to kill anyone but if at some point you _do _whether by accident or whatever, don't just turn it off. Don't give up on all the progress you made because of guilt. Your guilt does you no good." Damon said.

"Okay but I don't want to kill people." Stefan said and Damon nodded again.

"I know that and you don't _have _to. I'm just saying that if you _do_. I'm only bringing it up for precautionary reasons." Damon explained.

"I won't turn it off." Stefan promised.

"Good." Damon replied.

* * *

><p>About two weeks later, Damon and Stefan were in the nightclub and they were chatting to two friends. The four of them drank all night and were fairly drunk. It wasn't long before Damon was all over one girl. Stefan was kind of nervous about it but Damon didn't seem concerned so he let his nerves go and it wasn't long before he was all over the other girl. The girls had hotel rooms in the hotel across the street and Damon had every intention of going there with his girl. Stefan's girl was trying to get him to leave with her and he excused himself for a second and went over to Damon and tapped him on the shoulder. Damon turned his head and looked at Stefan in question.<p>

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Stefan asked and Damon nodded and excused himself. They went over to a quiet spot away from the girls.

"What's up?" Damon asked.

"Uh... she wants me to go back to her room with her." Stefan said and Damon smirked.

"Then go." Damon said.

"But..." Stefan trailed off and it clicked in Damon's mind.

"Okay, this is totally breaking some kind of brotherly boundary... but... you'll find it easier to stay in control if _she_ stays on top. Compel her to not care about you being a vampire because there's a good chance your face will come through. When you're close, bite your own wrist if you have to bite. I know that sounds weird but it'll work. And... but _only_ in an absolute emergency..." Damon warned him. "I'll be in the other girl's room so if you know you're going to lose it just yell for me. Stop worrying so much. You'll be fine. But you'll find it easier if you're not on top since it's more predatory." He said and Stefan nodded. "Just calm down. You're fine. You fed plenty before we came out." He said reassuringly.

"Thanks, Damon." Stefan said sincerely and Damon smirked.

"Just go get laid and stop cock blocking me." Damon teased and Stefan laughed and rolled his eyes. "Oh and if you're going more than once there are blood bags in the car. Go drink one in between if it's more than once." He said and Stefan nodded.

"Okay." Stefan agreed.

"Cool, see you in the morning, brother." Damon winked and Stefan laughed as Damon made his way back to his girl. Stefan smiled softly then went back to his.

Stefan kind of understood what Damon meant now about the fun they could have together. They'd gone out drinking and picked up girls together and they _were_ having fun. Stefan saw the future of possibilities now. They'd travel together and party together and he couldn't wait. It made him only _more_ determined to be in control. He had his brother back and he fully intended to have as much fun as possible with him. He vowed he'd never lose Damon ever again no matter what.

* * *

><p>Stefan's eyes fluttered open and he looked to his left. There lay the girl, Angela, that he'd slept with. She was a beautiful blonde – and still perfectly intact. Not a bite on her. He smiled at that. He was really proud of that. It had been difficult but his determination won over his bloodlust. He hadn't even had to bite his wrist when he came because he'd forced his control. His face didn't even change. He'd taken Damon's advice about her going on top but since they were both fairly drunk, they'd passed out after that so Stefan didn't feel the need to go get the blood bag. He realised then why he'd woken up, there was a tiny tap on the door that a human would never hear. He carefully got up and put his boxers on then hurried over to the door and opened it to find Damon there. Damon looked at the girl first. The sheet was over her but both of her arms were visible as was her neck.<p>

"Well done." Damon smiled proudly and Stefan grinned because his big brother was proud. Damon could smell that there was no blood spilled in the room. "Ready to go?" Damon asked.

"I need to wake her up to compel her to forget I'm a vampire." Stefan said quietly and Damon smirked.

"Nope, I'll teach you how to compel her while she's asleep." He said and Stefan looked surprised. He didn't even know that could be done. Damon stepped into the room and Stefan closed the door. "Touch her arm so that you're in contact. Find her mind then force your influence. You know the feeling when you compel someone and you feel that you have control over them?" Damon asked and Stefan nodded. "Once you've found that just compel like you normally would." He said. Stefan walked over to the sleeping girl and gently touched her arm. He closed his eyes then concentrated on finding her mind. It wasn't as difficult as he'd imagined it would be.

"You will forget that I'm a vampire. When you wake up you'll be happy I'm gone because you can't really remember what I look like." He compelled and Damon watched the difference in her breathing. Under compulsion a person's breathing goes very calm and hers did while Stefan compelled. Stefan let go of her arm then silently and quickly got himself dressed then the two of them left.

"So what happened?" Damon asked after the two of them got into Damon's car and Damon started driving them back.

"I forced my control and my face didn't even change." Stefan said and Damon smiled.

"Good, that's really good. Why'd you have to compel her to forget about you if your face didn't change?" He asked.

"Because I compelled her not to care before we slept together just _in case_ my face changed." Stefan said and Damon nodded.

"Now wasn't that fun?" Damon asked with a smirk and Stefan chuckled.

"Yeah, it was." He agreed. "Maybe you have another point." He said and Damon chuckled.

"It'll get easier, Stef. Then you'll be able to feed when you get laid too." He said and Stefan nodded.

"It will be nice to be able to just let go." He replied. "That and now that the blood is getting easier I see your point about the _real_ downside to the vampire condition." Stefan muttered and Damon laughed.

"Then we'll just have to go out more often." He replied and Stefan nodded. "You can maybe even find yourself a fuck buddy or a non-serious girlfriend. I'm thinking about doing that, actually. One night stands are easy and uncomplicated but sex on tap is better." He smirked and Stefan chuckled.

"What about Caroline?" Stefan asked curiously.

"What about her?" Damon asked confused.

"Your fuck buddies tend to end up kind of like girlfriends." Stefan pointed out and Damon shrugged.

"Well if I get one I'll get rid of her before Caroline gets here." Damon replied amused and Stefan chuckled.

"Does she know your sleeping with people here?" Stefan asked and Damon chuckled.

"She's not my girlfriend, Stefan. Besides, she'll be partying it up in Europe right about now with slutty Elena." Damon smirked and Stefan shot him a confused look.

"Slutty Elena?" Stefan asked and Damon laughed.

"Apparently, when Elena is single she is _single_." Damon smirked.

"What does that mean?" Stefan asked.

"According to Caroline, Elena's gotten laid more often than _I_ have since we left." He replied and Stefan looked surprised.

"Really?" He asked shocked and Damon chuckled.

"Yeah, but I haven't really gotten laid much so it's not that bad." He said. "Caroline said that all Elena wants to do now is go out, get drunk and find guys."

"Weird." Stefan replied and Damon shrugged.

"It's not _that_ weird, Stef. We're supposed to be a myth. How is some regular old human going to compare to over a year of dating a vampire? Caroline said that every time Elena gets drunk she talks about how much she regrets not becoming a vampire." He said and Stefan looked surprised.

"Is Caroline going to turn her?" Stefan asked and Damon shrugged.

"Apparently if Elena still wants to be turned when they finish college then Caroline will turn her but she's hoping Elena finds some human so she doesn't." He said.

"Caroline doesn't want her to turn?" Stefan asked.

"I think her exact words were 'it's bad enough having to deal with my own magnified habits without having to put up with Elena's'." Damon smirked and Stefan chuckled. "She wants Bonnie to turn but she doesn't think that'll happen." He said.

"Yeah, I think that's rather unlikely." Stefan agreed. "Though if Bonnie really was her best friend she _would_ do it for her." He said and Damon looked at him surprised.

"Why?" Damon asked curiously.

"So she doesn't have to be alone forever." Stefan replied and that's when it clicked in Damon's head finally. Stefan didn't want to be alone forever. Stefan didn't want to live without him. Stefan saw the emotions flit across Damon's face and he knew that Damon was relating what he said to them but before he could say anything...

"Why didn't you just say that at the time?" Damon asked.

"Katherine compelled me to drink her blood, Damon. I never chose it. So when I turned the compulsion wore away and I was left a vampire against my will. I know I forced you to transition but I was just so confused about what _actually_ happened. I remember when she first bit me I was terrified of her. I told her that her face was like a demon. I was repulsed by her but she compelled it away. I didn't know that she hadn't forced you to feel the same way." He said and Damon felt _so _guilty.

"I didn't know that you were compelled like that. She said she only compelled you not to tell anyone." He said. "I'm sorry for not being your brother then." He said to Stefan sincerely.

"Damon, she didn't compel you with regards to being a vampire, but she admitted to me in the tomb that she compelled you to want her no matter what." Stefan confessed and Damon's jaw dropped. He thought over every memory he had of that time in detail and that's when he finally remembered it.

"That little bitch." He said annoyed. "Why didn't you tell me that before?" He asked.

"I thought you would have figured it out for yourself and also, at the time, I didn't think you'd believe me." Stefan said. "Is there any way we can just... forget about all of that? All the things we did to each other over the years?" He asked and Damon looked surprised.

"You can do that? I did plenty of terrible things to you." Damon said.

"Yeah but I did plenty to you over the years too." Stefan pointed out.

"Clean slate for both of us then?" Damon asked and Stefan smiled.

"Agreed." Stefan said happily.


	6. Chapter 6

I don't own The Vampire Diaries, I'm just a fan :)

* * *

><p>Choosing Each Other<p>

Chapter 6

* * *

><p>A couple of days later, Stefan and Damon were in town and Stefan decided he wanted a coffee so they went into a little coffee shop. Damon took a seat because he did <em>not<em> do lines but Stefan complained _incessantly_ if Damon compelled their way to the front. Stefan stood in the line and Damon was surprised when Stefan ended up in a conversation with a girl in the line. There were seven customers in the line and only one girl behind the counter so it would no doubt be a while. Damon was highly amused by this and even more so when the girl gave Stefan her number. She was pretty with dark blonde hair and green eyes and she just seemed like a sweet girl from Montana. Not what Damon would have suggested for Stefan for the whole 'fuck buddy or non-serious girlfriend' thing they'd talked about considering that girl was more like the type you got serious about but he wasn't going to comment... well, that was a lie. Of course he was going to comment. Stefan got their two coffees to go then they went back to the car and got in.

"You going to call her?" Damon asked curiously and Stefan shrugged.

"She seems really nice." Stefan replied.

"Yeah but is 'nice' going to get you laid?" Damon smirked and Stefan chuckled.

"You have a one track mind." Stefan replied amused and Damon nodded unashamedly.

"Pretty much." Damon agreed. "Though I'm sure you'd like some company other than just me." He said.

"It might be nice when Caroline gets here." Stefan agreed.

"It's not like we'll just ditch you though." Damon pointed out and Stefan nodded.

"I know. But I also know that this little visit will shape things for the two of you so it's important. I love you but I do miss having a girlfriend." Stefan said and Damon chuckled.

"Then call the Christie girl and ask her out." Damon replied and Stefan smiled.

"Okay." He agreed.

* * *

><p>He called that evening and had a date for the next night.<p>

"Where are you going to take her?" Damon asked curiously.

"I was thinking maybe the carnival then maybe going for a drink or something." Stefan replied and Damon nodded just as his phone rang. He was surprised at that but answered anyway.

"Hello?" He answered sceptically considering it was an unknown caller.

"_Hey._" He heard the familiar voice and Stefan saw the smile on his brother's face.

"Hey Blondie." Damon replied and his happiness was evident in his tone.

"_How are you?_" She asked and he smirked.

"Missing my Blondie terribly, you?" He asked amused and she giggled while Stefan chuckled.

"_I miss you too. We just got back from a club and I wanted to call._" She said and he could tell she was kind of drunk.

"French men not doing it for you?" He asked amused and she laughed.

"_Not really, it seems I like my men Italian._" She said and he and Stefan chuckled.

"Men? How many Italians are we talking?" He teased and she laughed.

"_Just one_." She replied and his stomach fluttered.

"Good. Are you having fun over there?" He asked and she sighed.

"_Yes and no. The culture is great but I practically have to go see it all by myself because Elena's always too hung over to go out during the day and Bonnie doesn't want to leave her alone in the hotel. All Elena wants to do is party and there's so much __**else**__ to do that we're missing because of that and I'm sick of it. It's supposed to be a vacation for the three of us but Elena's practically dictating everything we do. So I've taken to just ditching them when they annoy me._" She said and Damon chuckled.

"Stefan and I will show you the real Europe _sans_ Elena so you'll see all the interesting stuff then." Damon promised and he could tell that his comment made her smile. Stefan was smirking at his sappy brother.

"_You will_?" She asked softly.

"Mmhmm." He agreed. "And where the hell is Caroline Forbes? Since when do you ever let anyone tell you what to do?" He asked with a smirk and she chuckled.

"_Good point. I'll yell at them tomorrow._" She said and the boys laughed.

"Atta girl." Damon smiled.

"_How's Stefan doing with the blood?_" She asked.

"Still great. He's actually going on a date tomorrow." Damon said amused.

"_Really? Tell me about her._" She said.

"Dark blonde hair, green eyes, probably about your height and Stefan says she's nice." Damon replied.

"_You're crap at descriptions._" She commented and he chuckled as did Stefan. "_What have you two been up to? I haven't talked to you in like a week._" She said and he shrugged even though she couldn't see it.

"TV, building, drinking and clubbing. Not much to be honest." He said.

"_What else have you built? Did you finish the boat house?_" She asked.

"Yeah, we finished it but I accidentally let it slip that we christened the boat so Stefan wants his own boat." Damon smirked and she laughed. "So we're in the middle of that at the moment."

"_That's cool. What the hell are you going to do when you've built that?_" She asked and he laughed.

"Who knows? We're both enjoying building all this stuff though so I'm sure we'll come up with something else. Ooh maybe like a hot tub cabin." Damon smirked at Stefan who grinned at the thought.

"_Fuck the boat! Build that!_" She said and both brothers laughed loudly at that.

"Yeah, I like that plan too." Stefan agreed amused.

"Hot tub it is." Damon chuckled. "When are you going back to Virginia?" Damon asked casually but Stefan was dying to laugh.

"_In eight days. Why? Looking forward to seeing me?_" She asked amused and Damon chuckled.

"Maybe." He replied and she giggled.

"_Well I can either come to Montana as soon as I get back for a little while then come back and pack up my stuff and move to California or move then visit._" She said and he thought about it.

"Either way is fine with me." He replied though internally he wanted her to get there as soon as she came back.

"_I might come back straight away to be honest because Bonnie and Elena are driving me nuts._" She said and he smiled.

"Just tell me when and I'll pick you up." He said.

"_Will do. I'll check flights when I get back. Anyway, I'm still drunk and totally tired so I'm heading to bed... Just wanted to say goodnight._" She said and he smirked.

"You can call me whenever you want to, Blondie." He replied.

"_Same goes for you, you know._" She chastised and he chuckled.

"I'll remember that." He agreed.

"_Good_." She said. "_Get Stefan to call me after his date so I can hear how it went._" She added.

"Will do, Care." Stefan said.

"_Great. Well, night Damon. Night Stefan._" She said.

"Good night." The boys replied then Damon hung up.

"You really want her to just blow off Paris and get here now, don't you?" Stefan teased and Damon groaned.

"Think she knows that?" He asked and Stefan laughed at him admitting it.

"No, Caroline's not remotely cocky so she'd never think something like that." Stefan replied and Damon nodded.

"She asked me something when she was here." Damon said as he hadn't brought it up before.

"And?" Stefan asked.

"She wanted to know if we would consider moving to California." Damon said and Stefan looked surprised.

"Do you want to?" Stefan asked and Damon smirked causing Stefan to laugh. "You do. Okay. Well, sure, why not?" Stefan shrugged. "I was kind of hoping we would do some travelling first though before settling down again." He said and Damon thought about that.

"How about we travel together and visit her every couple of months then move to California when we're bored of travelling?" Damon asked and Stefan thought about that.

"You'd be okay with that?" Stefan asked and Damon sighed.

"I'll be completely honest. There's nothing I want more now than to just be with her already but I want to give her some time." He said and Stefan was surprised to catch a hint of worry in his expression.

"But you also think that if you leave it too long she'll find someone else." Stefan said and Damon sighed.

"Yeah." He agreed. Stefan saw how much Damon wanted this and he would do anything for his brother.

"Six months of travelling then we'll move to California." Stefan said and Damon looked up at him in surprise.

"Only six months?" Damon asked perking up and Stefan smiled.

"Yeah. We have all of eternity to travel, Damon. Besides, Caroline's cool. She could either travel with us or she'd be totally fine with us taking off occasionally to travel somewhere together." Stefan said and Damon smiled.

"This'll be great." Damon said.

"I'll probably go to college with Caroline since she's at one by herself." Stefan said and Damon nodded.

"She'd love that." He replied. "I don't see her living with Elena and Bonnie for long." He commented.

"Me neither. Maybe she could live with us at the beach house." Stefan suggested and Damon smiled.

"We'll see what happens, Stef." Damon replied thought Stefan saw clearly how much his brother liked that idea.

* * *

><p>Stefan freaked out a little before his date and Damon ended up going into town with him and sitting in a bar across the street. He was beyond bored. It was 9pm so he figured Caroline would be in bed asleep so he couldn't call her. He just sighed in annoyance... then he spotted a hot girl and smirked. That could be entertaining.<p>

* * *

><p>Stefan on the other hand, was having a <em>wonderful<em> time with Christie. She was so sweet and kind but also funny and quirky. Stefan really liked her. They had a lot of fun together in the carnival. They went on the rides, ate candy floss and talked a lot. Stefan told her he was eighteen and had just finished high school and was spending the summer at the cabin with his brother. Christie had also just finished high school but she was from the area.

After the fair, Stefan asked if she fancied going for a drink. She was sceptical about getting served but he told her that his brother was in the bar and if they didn't get served, Damon could go up for them so she agreed. It's not like he could tell her about compulsion. They went into the bar and found Damon full on making out in a booth with a redhead covered in tattoos. Stefan and Christie chuckled a little which got Damon's attention so he pulled away and looked up with a smirk. Stefan got him and Christie drinks then the two of them went over to join Damon in the booth.

"Christie, this is my brother, Damon. Damon, Christie." Stefan said after they sat down. Christie held out her hand to shake his but he took her hand and kissed it with a devious smirk and Stefan rolled his eyes with a smile at his stupid brother.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Christie." Damon said sincerely as Stefan looked happy so it was obviously going well. "This is Marianna. Marianna, my brother, Stefan."

"Hey." She smiled at him and Christie.

"Hey, where did you two meet?" Stefan asked amused and Damon smirked at him.

"In here." Damon shrugged. "Marianna is a tattoo artist." Damon grinned and Stefan tried not to laugh at the fact Damon obviously thought that was hot.

"That's cool." Stefan smiled.

"I've always wanted a tattoo." Christie agreed.

"What would you get?" Damon asked her curiously.

"Well... my mom died last year so I was thinking about getting something to do with her. Like a tribute." Christie said and Damon's expression softened.

"Sorry to hear about your mother." Damon said to her sincerely.

"That's sweet though." Marianna said. "That you want something to remember her by." She said.

* * *

><p>The four of them surprisingly had a good time together. Damon had planned to make Marianna his conquest for the evening but she was pretty cool so he changed the plan to non-serious girlfriend as he'd actually enjoyed her company. He <em>really<em> liked Christie surprisingly. She was _perfect_ for Stefan. Sweet but also fun and Stefan seemed to lighten up a little in her company. Both girls lived in town so Stefan walked Christie home and Damon decided to walk Marianna home which internally surprised Stefan considering he'd been sure Damon had sex and feeding in store for her but he didn't say anything. They met back at the car half an hour later and Damon started to drive them back.

"What was wrong with Marianna?" Stefan asked curiously after they started driving and Damon gave him a confused look.

"Nothing, why?" He asked.

"Just figured you would have been trying to get laid." Stefan said and Damon chuckled.

"I will but she's interesting so when you're out on dates with Christie, I'll see her." He shrugged and Stefan cocked an eyebrow at that.

"Caroline will be here in like two weeks." Stefan pointed out.

"Yes, so that's two weeks where I'll be bored when you're out with Christie if I _don't_ see Marianna." He said and Stefan sighed.

"This is going to get messy, Damon." Stefan said.

"How so?" Damon asked confused.

"She lives in town. If Caroline comes here for a few weeks, she might bump into her if you're out together." Stefan said and Damon shrugged.

"I really don't see how Caroline is going to find out about it." Damon said. "And if she does, so what? We aren't together." He pointed out.

"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you." Stefan said.

"If it's such a big deal, I'll tell her when she gets here. She'll no doubt ask anyway so I'll just say I got myself a fuck buddy for when you're out on dates." He shrugged.

"Won't she get jealous?" Stefan asked.

"She can't get jealous. I told her when she was here that I wanted her to stay. If she'd stayed, there would be no Marianna or any other girls, but she didn't. I'm not the only one making decisions, you know. We're here to control your bloodlust and I'm not going to just drop you to follow her around wherever she goes and she knows that. I'm also not going to sit half way across the world from her and be celibate just in case she gets jealous and she knows that too." Damon said. "This thing between us is as much her decision as it is mine. If she comes here this time and decides that she doesn't want time, she wants to be with me, then that's what will happen. But _at the moment_ she is not my girlfriend." He said and Stefan was surprised at Damon saying all of that.

"Okay." Stefan replied.

"Okay?" Damon asked him confused.

"I see your point. She wants to go to college in California and you want to stay with me so at the moment it's not convenient for the two of you to be together. I get it." Stefan replied. "I just didn't see it that way before." He said. "But you wouldn't sleep with other people if you did get together, right?" He asked.

"Of course not." Damon replied. "If we decided to actually be together then there would only be her." He said and Stefan nodded.

"Good." He replied.

"_Anyway_. Are you going out with Christie again?" Damon asked.

"Yeah, tomorrow." Stefan nodded and Damon smirked.

"Excellent." Damon said and Stefan chuckled at his horny brother.

"She's great, actually." Stefan said.

"Yeah, she does seem kind of perfect for you." Damon agreed.

"I know." Stefan grinned and Damon laughed.

"Oh, God. You're in love already." Damon said amused and Stefan shot him an annoyed look.

"Am not." He said annoyed and Damon chuckled.

"Yeah, you are. You always do this. I swear to God, you're the only person I've ever met who can fall in love in like five minutes." He said amused.

"Oh, shut up." Stefan muttered and Damon laughed.

* * *

><p>Early the next morning, Stefan had been on the phone for like twenty minutes telling Caroline every detail of his date and Damon was getting annoyed. He wanted to talk to her... so, since he was Damon, he just walked right up and took the phone away from Stefan.<p>

"Hey!" Stefan said annoyed.

"Stop being such a chick. You didn't even get laid." Damon rolled his eyes and heard Caroline giggle through the phone then he put it to his ear. "I swear I've got a sister now." Damon said and Caroline laughed.

"_Hey, Damon._" She said happily.

"You get the girls told off yet?" Damon smirked.

"_Yeah, I told them we could get drunk non-stop in the States but we might never be in Europe again together so we should enjoy it. Seems to have worked._" She said and he chuckled.

"Good." He replied.

"_Did you like Christie?_" She asked.

"Surprisingly, yes. Nice girl but not like uptight about it." He said and she and Stefan chuckled. "Stefan's in love." Damon said amused and Caroline laughed.

"_Already?_" She asked amused.

"Don't listen to him." Stefan said.

"He always does this." Damon countered. "A girl bats her eyelashes at him and he's in love. He was the same when we were human." He said amused and Caroline laughed while Stefan rolled his eyes.

"_I think it's nice. What did you do while he was on his date?_" Caroline asked and Damon chuckled.

"Sat in a bar, got drunk, picked up chicks. The usual." He smirked and she giggled.

"_Will you ever change?_" She asked amused and he smirked.

"Never." He replied and she laughed.

"_Is that so?_" She asked with a chuckle.

"I'm never going to stop drinking and going to bars but if a certain chick I have my eye on works out, I'll stop with the _other_ chicks." He teased and Stefan chuckled at his sappy brother.

"_Damon Salvatore and monogamy are like two things that don't mix, don't you think?_" Caroline teased back and Damon rolled his eyes with a smile.

"You're worth it, Blondie." Damon replied and Stefan's jaw dropped at Damon saying something _so sappy_.

"_You can't say stuff like that._" She said seriously and he chuckled.

"Why not?" He smirked.

"_Because I'll end up ditching Elena and Bonnie to fly to Montana._" She said and he laughed as did Stefan.

"Promise?" Damon teased and she giggled.

* * *

><p>Stefan had a second date with Christie but Damon didn't make plans with Marianna. He actually enjoyed just being alone in the cabin considering he didn't get to be alone often. The following day, Damon and Stefan drove for a couple of hours to a bathroom store to look at hot tubs. They decided to buy the hot tub first, so they would know the measurements then they'd be able to build the hot tub hut.<p>

"How big do you want it?" Stefan asked and Damon shrugged.

"Big enough for a few people and not just two." He replied.

"What do you mean by a few people?" Stefan asked.

"Big enough so that if you and I are in it together at any point with chicks, no part of our bodies will be touching at _all_." Damon said and Stefan chuckled.

"Fair enough." Stefan said amused.

"The sunken ones are the best." Damon commented.

"If we get a sunken one, we either have to put the hut off the ground or dig a space for it." Stefan commented thoughtfully and Damon nodded.

"Whatever, we can figure that out later. We just need to pick one." He said.

"What about that one?" Stefan pointed to a really large square shaped one that had a few steps coming down into the base like a swimming pool.

"It has multi coloured changing lights at the bottom!" Damon said to him annoyed and Stefan chuckled.

"Yeah, but you know Caroline will _love_ that." Stefan pointed out.

"Fine, we'll get that one." Damon said and Stefan laughed.

* * *

><p>The tub was being delivered in a few days time so Damon and Stefan set to work on starting the hot tub hut. Stefan wanted it to be really big so there would be room for seats in it and maybe a small bar off to the side. Damon didn't care either way. He just wanted to get Caroline into it so he just let Stefan go crazy with the designing of it. Damon wanted it done before Caroline got there so he made Stefan work with him all day, every day on it and it came together really quickly. It only took them a couple of days to get the whole thing built. The hot tub was delivered and they sunk it into the ground then concreted the floor. Damon was appalled when Stefan wanted to <em>decorate<em> the inside of their hut but he just rolled his eyes and let him do whatever he wanted. They ended up with a bar along the left side of the hut, the tub in the middle, the right had a bench and chairs and Stefan put a large mural of a waterfall scene with trees and two plants at the back. It looked pretty damn good when it was finished...


	7. Chapter 7

I don't own The Vampire Diaries, I'm just a fan :)

**A/N: Sorry I took so long to update this!**

* * *

><p>Choosing Each Other<p>

Chapter 7

* * *

><p>Stefan had just had his eleventh date with Christie and she went back to the cabin with him as they were going to watch a movie together since it was still early. They'd seen each other every day since their first date which highly amused Damon but he really liked her so he didn't mind her being around so much. Christie obviously knew that they'd built a hot tub so she was curious about it since she hadn't seen it yet. Stefan had been having so much fun with Christie that he had no idea where Damon was. They left the house and went around back to the hot tub hut and opened the door – only to find Marianna straddling Damon's lap in a bikini in the water and the two of them were full on making out causing Stefan and Christie to laugh. They looked up at the newcomers amused.<p>

"You're letting all the steam out." Marianna teased and Damon chuckled while Stefan and Christie stepped inside and closed the door.

"Have fun on your date?" Damon asked with a smirk while Marianna climbed off him to sit next to him instead.

"Yeah it was great. We went to that new restaurant in the next town." Christie smiled.

"Baby brother boring you yet?" Damon smirked at her and she and Marianna laughed while Stefan rolled his eyes with a smile. Damon and Christie had developed a little banter and were getting along great.

"Of course not." She smiled at Stefan with a small blush and he kissed her cheek while Damon and Marianna chuckled.

"You two are so cute." Marianna teased and Damon laughed.

"_So _cute." Damon mocked in agreement and she giggled while Stefan and Christie rolled their eyes. "What are you love birds up to tonight?" He asked with a smirk.

"Just watching a movie." Stefan shrugged.

"Then Marianna and I will just stay here." He winked at Stefan who deadpanned.

"We had an agreement about the hot tub, Damon." Stefan reminded him and Damon shot him a devious smile.

"_You_ said no sex in the hot tub... Just because I didn't argue with you didn't mean I agreed to that." Damon pointed out amused and both girls laughed while Stefan sighed.

"But, Damon, I like going in the hot tub too." He complained and both Damon and Marianna chuckled.

"Don't worry, Stefan, we can control ourselves." Marianna winked at him and Damon shot her a look.

"Speak for yourself." He said and they laughed.

"Don't you think about anything else?" Christie teased him and Damon smirked at her.

"As a matter of fact, Christie, no I don't." He said and they laughed loudly.

"We can always go out on your boat." Marianna said to him and Damon's smirk fell.

"No, it would probably sink." Damon lied and Stefan looked at him confused.

"It didn't when you..." Damon glared at Stefan and he realised then that it was a Caroline thing. "Anyway, it's my boat too so that's a no go as well." Stefan said hurriedly and Damon nodded. Christie noticed the look Damon shot Stefan but Marianna hadn't and it had her curious.

"We were thinking about heading to the club tonight. Want to come with us?" Christie asked them.

"I'm up for that." Marianna agreed. "What do you think, Damon?" She asked.

"Mmhmm." He replied. "I have some stuff to do tonight, so what's the plan?" He asked.

"I'll head home soon and get ready then and you can pick me up later." Marianna said to Damon.

"That's fine." He agreed.

* * *

><p>Marianna left about an hour later after Damon slept with her on top of the bar since the hot tub was a 'no go' then he got dressed and wandered into the house to find Stefan and Christie curled up on the couch watching Anchorman. He didn't say anything to either of them, instead he just went and got himself a drink.<p>

"Damon? What's wrong?" Stefan asked noticing the expression Damon was wearing.

"Nothing." Damon muttered.

"The boat thing?" Stefan asked and Damon sighed and nodded without looking at them. Christie had never seen Damon wear such a serious expression before. He was always a joker around her.

"What boat thing?" Christie asked.

"The boat is a 'thing' and Marianna bringing it up just reminded me of that." Damon muttered as he took a drink.

"What do you mean?" She asked concerned. Christie really liked Damon already. Damon sat down in the recliner and Christie paused the movie.

"I just... miss her." Damon said and Christie looked confused.

"Who?" She asked him.

"A girl called Caroline. She's coming to visit soon... I just want her to get here _now_." Damon mumbled.

"What about Marianna?" She asked.

"That's not serious. They're just messing around." Stefan said and Damon nodded as he took a drink.

"So, you want to be with this Caroline girl?" Christie asked.

"Mmhmm." Damon nodded.

"Why can't you be?" She asked him.

"Because she's moving to California for college and obviously, Stefan and I live here, so it's not practical yet." Damon replied. "Eventually I'll move there to be with her." He said surprising Christie. She'd kind of been under the impression that Damon wasn't interested in anything more than sex – she gathered then that it was because of Caroline.

"So... I'm guessing you don't want me to mention Marianna in front of Caroline when she comes?" Christie asked and Damon and Stefan chuckled.

"Don't worry about that, Christie. I know you and Mari made friends so it's cool. I'll fill Caroline in about it. I don't lie to her." Damon said surprising her. She thought about that for a minute then she couldn't help herself...

"How old are you?" Christie asked him curiously and Damon smirked.

"165 years old." Damon replied and Stefan's eyes widened and his jaw dropped that Damon told the _truth_. Christie just giggled.

"And you're really brothers?" Christie asked curiously and they both looked a bit confused.

"Yes." Stefan replied.

"So you're a vampire too?" Christie asked Stefan and both boys looked surprised.

"Uh..." Stefan said as he blinked rapidly.

"How do you know that I'm a vampire?" Damon asked her full of curiosity and amusement and she just shrugged.

"I saw you bite someone in town the other day and when you said 165 years old there I kind of just gathered." She said with a shrug and they both looked surprised.

"Damon." Stefan said in disbelief that Damon had obviously fed irresponsibly.

"What?" Damon asked with a smirk. "What are you so worried about, dude? You're all 'how is she going to react' and look." Damon pointed to her. "She's totally cool." He smirked and Christie chuckled.

"You're not scared?" Stefan asked her hesitantly and Damon rolled his eyes.

"Listen to her heartbeat, dumbass, she's not remotely scared. Stop brooding so much, will you?" Damon teased and Christie laughed.

"No, I'm not scared, sweetie." Christie smiled at him.

"How are you so fine with this?" Stefan asked her confused and she shrugged.

"I've spent like all day, every day with you for almost two weeks and we clicked so well." She said taking his hand. "What does it matter if you're not human?" She asked him sincerely and Damon smirked at his brother while Stefan's stomach fluttered.

"Think you're going to have to marry this chick, Stef. She's clearly perfect for you." Damon said and Christie laughed while Stefan rolled his eyes with a chuckle.

"Is Caroline human?" Christie asked Damon who shook his head.

"No, she's a vampire." Damon replied. "But Christie, you can't tell anyone about us." He said to her and she nodded.

"I know." She replied.

"We'll have to get her some vervain." Damon said to Stefan who nodded.

"What's that?" Christie asked.

"Vervain is a type of herb that blocks vampire mind control." Stefan explained and she looked surprised. "It also weakens us." He said.

"So if you wear some in a locket or bracelet or something, you can't be compelled." Damon explained. Christie was quite touched that they would do that for her.

"Have you compelled Marianna?" Christie asked him and he chuckled.

"To not tell anyone that I'm a vampire, yeah." Damon replied. "I can't do that whole pretending to be human thing that Stefan does." He said to her and Stefan rolled his eyes.

"It's sad that you have to pretend to be human though. Do you normally get a bad reaction?" She asked them concerned. They were still continually surprised at just how sweet and nice Christie always was.

"Yeah, a human's first reaction is usually 'please don't kill me'." Damon replied with a shrug.

"That's a shame." She said to them sadly.

"To be fair, it's usually after I've taken a bite out of them." Damon smirked at her and she laughed.

"That's terrible, Damon." She said amused and he chuckled. Stefan was surprised at just how not bothered she was.

"I'll call Care and ask her to bring some vervain." Stefan said getting his phone out.

"No, you won't." Damon said annoyed and both Stefan and Christie chuckled.

"Fine, you call her." Stefan smirked.

"You twisted my arm." Damon smirked back and they laughed at how happy he looked as he pulled his phone out. "She's back in Virginia, thankfully." He said holding the phone to his ear and Stefan chuckled.

"_Hey._" She answered happily.

"Happy to be home, Barbie?" He asked and she laughed. She'd been back for almost two days but they hadn't talked yet.

"_Yes and no. Europe was fun but Bonnie and Elena are really annoying if you spend a lot of time with them._" She said and he chuckled as did Stefan.

"Yet _you _want to live with them. You should just run away with me to a deserted island or something." He teased and Stefan and Christie glanced at each other amused.

"_Don't tempt me._" She giggled.

"Can you bring some vervain with you when you come to visit?" He asked curiously.

"_Yeah of course. What do you need it for?_" She asked.

"Stefan's girlfriend caught me feeding so she knows all about our undead statuses now." He said amused and Christie giggled at his choice of words.

"_How'd she take that?_" Caroline asked surprised.

"So well. She's so non-judgemental. Stefan totally has to marry her." Damon said and they all laughed.

"_Wow. You really like her, huh?_" Caroline giggled.

"Mmhmm. So will you." He replied.

"_I can't wait to meet her. Stefan's so sweet on her._" Caroline said amused and Damon chuckled while Stefan rolled his eyes with a blush.

"Totally." He said.

"_So what have you been doing while Stefan's been busy with Christie?_" Caroline teased and Stefan looked at Damon amused wondering what he would say.

"This and that." He smirked and she laughed as did Stefan.

"_What's her name?_" She giggled and Stefan looked surprised.

"Marianna Stratton." Damon replied and both Stefan and Christie looked very surprised that he told her.

"_I see._" She chuckled. "_You're going to get rid of her before I get there though, right?_" She asked and Stefan's jaw dropped so Damon smiled at him deviously.

"Obviously." He replied amused. "It's your fault, you know." He teased and she laughed.

"_Why's that?_" She asked.

"If you had just stayed, there would be no other chick to keep me busy." He said and they both looked shocked that he said that to her but she just laughed.

"_I'll be there soon then I'll keep you busy for a while._" She said amused and he chuckled.

"Good." He replied.

"_Miss me, do you?_" She teased and he smirked.

"You have no idea." He replied and Stefan looked shocked at Damon saying something _so sappy_.

"_You can't say stuff like that._" She said seriously and he chuckled.

"Would you rather I lie?" He teased and she sighed.

"_No... I'll get a flight booked today. I can't wait to see you._" She said and Damon smiled and his stomach fluttered.

"Good. Text me your flight details and I'll pick you up." He replied.

"_Okay. See you soon._" She said softly.

"Bye, Blondie." He said then hung up. He took a sip of his drink then rolled his eyes. "What, Stefan?" He asked because Stefan was looking at him funny.

"How on earth is it that you can get away with telling the girl you like that you've been screwing someone else and have her only _more _eager to see you?" Stefan asked confused and both Damon and Christie chuckled.

"It's called _honesty, _Stefan. She knows I tell her the truth." He shrugged. "So she believes me when I tell her that when we eventually _do _get together, I won't screw anyone else." He said and Christie smiled.

"Aww, you're in love." Christie teased and Stefan laughed while Damon rolled his eyes.

"Don't be ridiculous, Cabby." Damon teased and Christie laughed while Stefan rolled his eyes at the nickname.

"Can I see your fangs?" Christie asked and they both laughed.

"Yeah, but Stefan still needs to be careful. I'll let him explain all of that to you though, so if you have questions about vampires or blood or whatever, ask me." Damon said to her and Stefan shot him a grateful look.

"Okay." Christie nodded in agreement. Damon allowed his face to change then he flashed her a toothy smile so she could see his teeth. "This might sound weird but you actually look good like that." She commented and they chuckled. She stood up and went over to him and looked at his face. "Does having your face changed make you want blood more?" She asked as she looked at the veins around his eyes.

"Not anymore. I've been a vampire for nearly a century and a half so it's not new to me." He explained and she nodded.

"Can I..." She trailed off lifting her hand then she dropped her hand again and he smirked.

"Yeah, you can touch the veins." He said to her amused and she giggled then lifted her hand and touched underneath his eyes. Stefan wasn't remotely jealous which kind of surprised him but he knew Christie liked only him and he knew Damon only liked Caroline like that. He was quite pleased, in fact, that they were getting along so well.

"How sharp are your teeth?" She asked curiously and he thought about it.

"Probably like a hot knife through butter." He replied and she looked surprised.

"Do you always bite people?" She asked him.

"Nah, most of the time I drink blood from blood bags stolen from the hospitals." He replied and she nodded as she went back and retook her seat and Damon let his face go back to normal.

"Is it hard to stop if you bite someone?" She asked.

"When you first become a vampire, yes, but now it's not an issue for me at all." He replied.

"Do you kill people?" She asked.

"Sometimes." He nodded. "I'm not going to lie, Cabby. Though I haven't for quite a while." He said.

"Are you like... dead?" She asked.

"Yup." He nodded. "You have to die to become a vampire." He replied.

"So how old are you really then?" She asked Stefan.

"163 years old." He replied and she nodded as she thought about that.

"Do you think Caroline will like me?" She asked and they both chuckled.

"Probably. She likes everyone." Stefan replied.

"She's annoying and talks too much but she's kind of awesome." Damon winked at her and they both laughed.

"She's annoying?" Christie asked him amused and he chuckled.

"So annoying." He agreed with a smirk and they laughed. "But she's like _ridiculously _hot so that makes up for it." He teased and they laughed.

"That's terrible." Christie chuckled. "What does she look like?" She asked.

"A Barbie doll." Damon smirked.

"So that's why you called her Barbie on the phone?" Christie asked.

"No, it's just because it really annoys her." Damon replied amused and she laughed.

"Does that make any sense to you?" Christie asked Stefan who chuckled.

"No, but eventually you'll understand that Damon is just Damon and things make sense to him that don't to anyone else." Stefan said and Damon smirked while she giggled.

"I totally forgot. My cousin is coming into town tomorrow for the night, can she meet you?" Christie asked Stefan.

"Of course." Stefan smiled at her and Damon chuckled at how into Christie Stefan was already.

"She hot?" Damon asked Christie who smirked at him.

"Don't you think you have enough girls to juggle?" She teased and he laughed.

"No such thing." He winked at her and both she and Stefan laughed.

"Yeah, she's really pretty." She nodded.

"Might be best if I tag along then, wouldn't want Stefan boring her to death." Damon winked at her and she laughed while Stefan rolled his eyes at his stupid brother. "You know what? Why don't you bring her over here for dinner? I'll cook. Tell her to bring a bikini." He grinned and they laughed.

"Food and the hot tub? Sounds fun." Christie giggled.

"Excellent." Damon smirked and they laughed. "Anyway, I have stuff to do." He said finishing his drink.

"Like what?" Stefan asked curiously.

"Stuff." Damon replied amused.

"Meaning you're going to feed." Stefan said and Damon chuckled.

"Among other things." He smirked. Stefan was surprised then as clearly Damon hadn't bitten Marianna.

"Should we just get you in the club tonight then?" Christie asked and he nodded.

"You've been with Christie all day, you need to feed." Damon said to Stefan who agreed with a nod.

"I'll be back in a second." Stefan said to her.

"That's fine, sweetie." She smiled then Stefan followed Damon upstairs. Damon was back downstairs a minute later and he took a seat next to Christie. "What's up?" She asked him curiously.

"Stefan's going to explain everything to you but he's kind of sensitive to human blood so, not that you would, but don't let him bite you, don't ask him to bite you, if you have any vampire questions about blood, don't ask Stefan." He said to her and she nodded.

"Okay." She agreed. "Will it be hard for him if I accidentally cut myself or something?" She asked.

"No, he'd excuse himself if you did, probably. Don't worry. He's not like... it's not like he doesn't have any control, because he does, it's just harder for him than it is me. You could have a gaping wound and I wouldn't be remotely fazed by it but it would be tough for Stefan." He explained to her. "It's part of the reason we're out here, actually. It's getting easier for him every day, so don't worry, Christie, you're not in danger." He said sincerely and she smiled.

"I know." She replied and he chuckled.

"You're totally into my little boring broody brother aren't you?" He teased and she laughed.

"Yeah." She smiled and he smirked.

"Good. You're good for him. He's all sapped out." He said and she chuckled.

* * *

><p>A couple of days later, Damon was cooking in the kitchen when Stefan came in with a wide smile. Damon had totally hit it off with the cousin and ended up making out with her by the end of the night which highly amused Christie, though Stefan had explained the Caroline situation and she understood that Caroline was coming to see what would happen between her and Damon. Christie couldn't wait to meet her.<p>

"What are you so happy about?" Damon asked amused.

"Christie." He smiled and Damon laughed.

"Why's that?" Damon asked.

"I told her everything... and she still wants to be with me. She completely accepts everything. She knows that we're here so that I can get control and she said she wants to help in any way she can. She said she was proud of me for doing so well since it was only a few months ago that I couldn't drink human blood without going off the deep end." Stefan said and Damon smiled.

"Told you, Stef. She's the girl for you. I'm sure of it." Damon said and Stefan grinned.

"Damon... she's just so... perfect." He said and Damon smirked.

"You're totally in love." Damon teased him and Stefan chuckled.

"Yeah, I totally am." He said and Damon laughed at him admitting it. "It's so different with her already... she just... I can completely be myself. I don't have to hide _anything_. And she's not remotely afraid of me. It's... I know I'm repeating myself, but it's perfect." He said and Damon nodded.

"I heard somewhere once that you know you've found the right person when they know you at your worst and love you anyway." Damon commented.

"You really like her, don't you?" Stefan asked amused and Damon looked over his shoulder at Stefan with a smirk.

"I do. So don't screw it up. I think I could be friends with Cabby." He said and Stefan laughed.

"Why do you keep calling her that?" Stefan asked curiously as he hadn't asked before.

"Her name is Christine Arielle Brenner. Two plus two, Stefan." Damon teased and Stefan chuckled.

"Fair enough." Stefan said. "What are you doing?" He asked curiously.

"Preparing a marinade for the chicken for tonight." Damon replied like it was so obvious.

"Are you... nervous?" Stefan asked sceptically and Damon shot him a look.

"Don't be ridiculous. I just..." He trailed off.

"Don't want to screw it up?" Stefan finished for him with a small smile and Damon sighed.

"Yeah, basically." He muttered.

"I don't think you will screw it up." Stefan replied surprising Damon.

"Why's that?" He asked sceptically.

"You said it yourself. You tell Caroline the truth. It's not like she doesn't _know _you, Damon. She's got far more patience than sense too." Stefan teased and Damon rolled his eyes amused. "Just try your best. That'll be enough for her." Stefan said.

"Mmm." Damon nodded as he thought about that.

"When are we leaving for the airport?" Stefan asked.

"5pm." Damon replied. "So tell Christie to be ready for quarter past so we can pick her up." He added.

"I will." Stefan agreed. "Oh... uh... there's something I wanted to ask you." Stefan said nervously and Damon cocked an eyebrow at him.

"About?" He asked.

"I've met Christie's parents just by saying hi and whatever when I pick her up but apparently they want to go out to dinner and Christie's told them about you too and we've both been invited out to dinner with them... so... would you go?" Stefan asked surprising Damon. Damon was kind of shocked that Stefan would _want _him around his girlfriend's parents.

"If Christie and Caroline get along." He nodded. "She'll have to be invited too." He said.

"Okay." Stefan replied.

"Don't be so nervous, Stef. I actually _like _Christie. I'll behave." He winked at his brother who chuckled.

"Never doubted that for a second." Stefan smirked and Damon laughed.

"You're still a terrible liar, Stef." Damon teased and Stefan laughed.


	8. Chapter 8

I don't own The Vampire Diaries.

* * *

><p>Choosing Each Other<p>

Chapter 8

* * *

><p>Damon was quiet for most of the drive to the airport and Christie kept glancing at him concerned from the front seat next to him. Stefan was in the back behind Damon so he and Christie could still talk. They shared a worried look as Damon was hardly ever just <em>silent<em>.

"Did Stefan ask you about the dinner with my parents?" Christie asked him and he nodded.

"I thought you said your mother died." He said to her curiously.

"She did." Christie nodded. "My mom and dad divorced when I was a year old so by parents I mean my dad, step-dad and step-mom. They both remarried when I was really young so it's like I had four parents growing up." She explained and he nodded.

"So will all three of them be there?" Damon asked her sceptically and she chuckled.

"Yeah, they want to meet you both." She replied.

"What have you said about us?" Damon asked.

"What do you mean?" She asked confused.

"Well, I'm guessing you didn't say, 'hey, come meet my undead boyfriend and his undead brother.'" He smirked and she and Stefan chuckled.

"I said that Stefan's eighteen, you're 21 and you're spending the summer in the cabin together to do some brother bonding." She said and they both chuckled.

"They didn't ask about parents or jobs or college or anything?" Damon asked.

"Stefan said to say your parents died in a car accident and that's why you came to Montana, you're in college taking a year out and Stefan's taking a year out before college." She said and Damon nodded.

"Okay. What did you say I was doing?" Damon asked.

"I just said I didn't know." Christie replied.

"Say something boring and normal, please, Damon." Stefan said and Damon smirked.

"What do you mean?" Christie asked Stefan sceptically.

"Damon will come up with some _ridiculous _degree otherwise like spider psychology or something." Stefan said and both Christie and Damon laughed.

"I'll think about it." Damon said amused. "Where did you say we were living before?" He asked.

"Virginia. I didn't really deviate too much. It's like borderline truth." Christie replied and they chuckled.

"Before we pick Caroline up, is there anything you don't want her to know?" Stefan asked and Damon thought about it.

"She doesn't _have _to know that Marianna was in the hot tub." Damon replied and they laughed.

"Well, considering you built it for Caroline, I kind of gathered that." Stefan replied.

"Aww." Christie smiled and Damon rolled his eyes with a chuckle.

"Nothing happened in it anyway so it's not like it's... _that _bad." Damon said.

"Please don't have sex with Caroline in the hot tub." Stefan whined and Christie giggled.

"I'm not going to. That's what the boat's for." Damon smirked and Stefan deadpanned while Christie laughed.

"We so have to build another boat." Stefan muttered and they chuckled.

"Fine we'll build you and Christie your own nookie boat." Damon smirked and Christie chuckled at Damon being _Damon _while Stefan shot him an annoyed look.

"Is that all you ever think about?" Stefan asked annoyed and Damon glanced at them both then laughed.

"Aww, that's cute." Damon teased. "You two haven't done the nasty yet." He smirked and Christie blushed and giggled embarrassed while Stefan smacked him on the arm.

"Stefan's the one holding out, you know. I'm game." Christie said and Damon buckled over laughing at sweet little Christie saying something like that and the car swerved just a little because he was _so _surprised that she actually _said _that.

"I _officially _now love you, Cabby." Damon grinned at her and she laughed while Stefan wanted the ground to open up and swallow him with the embarrassment. "I really hope you marry Stef because you're steadily becoming my favourite person." He winked at her and she giggled.

* * *

><p>They stood in the arrivals' lounge and Damon was visibly agitated. They'd been there for a while since the flight was marginally delayed.<p>

"Don't be nervous, Damon. You look hot." Christie said hoping it would help and he smirked at her.

"I always look hot, Christie." He replied cockily and she chuckled while Stefan rolled his eyes.

"Cocky much?" Damon heard and instantly turned around and saw Caroline coming out of the arrivals' doors and his breath hitched involuntarily at the sight of her. She was smiling at him so he smirked at her comment.

"Very much." He replied and she giggled. Damon completely forgot about the other two and walked up to her then crashed his lips to hers while her arms went around his neck and his went around her waist. He pulled away and rested his forehead against hers and sighed. "I missed you." He said and she smiled.

"I missed you too." She replied. "Now will you let me meet Christie and say hi to Stefan?" She teased and he smirked.

"Hmm... not yet." He replied then dipped her dramatically and kissed her again. He didn't care that he could hear Stefan and Christie chuckling at his antics. Caroline giggled against his mouth as he straightened her up again. Christie hadn't seen the mushy side of Damon yet and it made her smile. She totally loved him already and she was glad that he cared about Caroline so much. She thought he deserved a nice girl in his life.

"Wow, you did miss me." She teased and he smirked.

"Just trying to get into your pants. Don't read too much into it." He teased back and she giggled as did Christie.

"Damon." Stefan said in disbelief.

"Relax, Steffy." Damon said amused as he let go of her. "Barbie, this is Cabby. Cabby, Barbie." Damon pointed and they chuckled.

"Nice to meet you, Caroline. I've heard so much about you, I've been really looking forward to this." Christie smiled and Caroline grinned back at her.

"Stefan's so sweet on you and the fact Damon wants you around too makes me think you're probably the coolest girl ever so I'm sure we'll be buds in no time." Caroline winked and they laughed.

"Hey, Care." Stefan smiled and Caroline hugged him and he hugged her back happily. "How was your flight?" He asked when she let go of him.

"Long." She replied and they chuckled. Damon surprised her then when he took the handle of her suitcase indicating he'd roll it to the car.

"Can we get out of here and do the chitchat in the car?" Damon asked and they chuckled and rolled their eyes at him being so impatient.

"Yeah, let's go." Stefan said amused.

Caroline was feeling kind of brave since he'd _dipped _her in the middle of the airport so she took Damon's free hand when they were walking out to the car. She was a little surprised at his reaction considering he interlaced their fingers with no hesitation then leaned over and kissed her cheek. Stefan and Christie were ahead of them so they got to the car first and Stefan had to hide his visible surprise when he saw them walking hand in hand. Christie was a little surprised too considering she'd noticed that Damon wasn't the openly affectionate type.

Damon stashed her bag in the trunk of the car then they got inside. Christie went into the backseat with Stefan so Caroline could sit next to Damon then they drove off. They left Billings Logan International Airport and the drive back was through mountains and Caroline thought it was so beautiful. She'd commented on it last time but she had to admit, Montana had some of the most beautiful natural scenery she'd ever seen.

They made it back to the cabin in just under 45 minutes and Caroline had been chatting away with Christie and it was obvious the two girls would be getting along swimmingly. Stefan was really pleased by Caroline's interaction with her because aside from Damon, Caroline was his best friend and her opinion mattered to him a great deal. When they got to the house, Damon kind of took his time getting the suitcase out so Stefan and Christie went ahead into the house and Caroline looked at him curiously.

"Did you want to talk to me?" She asked him wondering why he was taking so long.

"Uh... yeah." He replied closing the trunk of the car then locking it. She went over to where he stood next to the suitcase.

"What's up?" She asked and he looked at her in contemplation.

"Do you want to... uh... stay in my room?" He asked her and she looked a little surprised.

"Where the magic happens." She teased a little as she thought that over and he gave her a nervous smile.

"I've never had sex in my room here." He said to her and she looked _very _surprised. "All the other rooms, yeah, but not in mine." He said.

"Why?" She asked surprised.

"I don't normally want any reminders in my room." He said and her stomach fluttered.

"Well... you'd be reminded of me if I did stay in your room with you." She pointed out with a smile.

"That's... okay." He replied and internally she loved seeing this nervous side to Damon because it showed just how much he cared about her.

"Are you sure?" She asked him softly.

"Well... I... uh..." He said awkwardly then bit his lip and let out a little nervous sigh. Caroline was wondering what the hell he was trying to tell her because he looked nervous as hell. "It's okay because I..." He swallowed. "I love you." He said then froze a little while Caroline blinked in surprise at the fact he'd just told her that. She felt kind of like she was melting because he'd been clearly really nervous to tell her that. She stepped closer to him and put her arms around his neck and looked him in the eyes. He seemed to ease a little at her reaction.

"You love me, huh?" She asked with a teasing grin and he chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"It's not funny." He replied with a smirk. "You're a mean little vampire, you know." He replied amused. "Stuff like that is difficult to deal with." He said and she giggled.

"It doesn't have to be difficult." She pointed out and his eyebrows furrowed in a little bit of confusion.

"How so?" He asked.

"Because I love you too." She replied and Damon blinked a couple of times and she saw that he was really surprised that she'd said it back. She'd never said it to anyone before. Not Matt. Not Tyler. Just Damon – but then for Caroline, it was always going to be Damon. He took a kind of deep breath as he let that sink in. Then he moved his arms that had been resting by his sides and pulled her closer into him and kissed her. She kissed him back with a smile on her face and she realised then just how much she'd missed him. He pulled away and looked at her with a smile on his face.

"You coming here was a really bad idea." He said and she chuckled in disbelief.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because I'm never going to be able to let you leave again." He said and she was officially melting into a puddle. She smiled at him and pecked him a kiss on the lips.

"I like this sappy side of you." She teased and he chuckled.

"Don't read too much into it, just trying to get laid." He winked and she giggled.

"We'll have to take the boat out later then." She winked back and he chuckled then kissed her.

* * *

><p>The four of them had dinner together then sat around the couches when Caroline remembered.<p>

"I almost forgot. I have presents." She smiled then darted upstairs in a blink.

"That's going to take some getting used to." Christie said amused.

"What?" Stefan asked her.

"That whole disappearing thing you guys can do." She said amused and they chuckled. They hadn't even noticed. Caroline reappeared about a minute later with three gift bags. One was a small white one, the second was a large blue one and the third was a large black one.

"I knew I'd like you so I couldn't help it." Caroline said to Christie handing her the small white gift bag and she looked really surprised. Stefan and Damon chuckled at Caroline being so nice as always.

"Thank you. That's really sweet of you." Christie smiled at her. Caroline then handed the blue bag to Stefan and the black one to Damon.

"Why'd you get us presents?" Damon asked her amused.

"Because." Caroline shrugged then retook her seat next to Damon. Christie opened hers to reveal two small black boxes. She opened the first one and grinned at the beautiful bracelet sitting inside. It was a multi-string gold bracelet with a strand of fine pearls and a small round hanging white enamel locket with a small gold flower embedded on the top. "There's vervain in the little locket already." She said to her and Christie smiled surprised.

"Thank you, it's so beautiful. I love it." She said happily and Caroline smiled pleased that she liked it. Stefan pulled out a long wooden box from his bag and eyed it curiously. He slid it open and his head snapped up to look at Caroline. The wooden box was lined with navy blue silk fabric and set in the box was a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Carte D'Or Brut 1964 Champagne.

"How on earth did you remember that?" Stefan asked her wide eyed in awe and she smiled.

"You said it was your favourite. How could I forget that?" She said and he grinned at her.

"Thanks, Care. I love it. That was so thoughtful of you." He said sincerely and she smiled and winked at him. Damon was still busy opening the ornate box so Christie managed to get her second box opened first. In it sat a round cream coloured locket pendant on a fine gold chain with a sheet music background and a black fleur de lis motif over it.

"That is gorgeous. Thank you." Christie grinned.

"You're welcome. That also has vervain in the locket. I just figured that it might be nice to have a change instead of always having to wear a bracelet or always having to wear a pendant." Caroline smiled.

"That was so sweet of you." Christie smiled.

"Want me to put it on for you?" Stefan asked her and she nodded happily. He took it out of the box for her and she held her hair to the side then he fitted it around her neck and closed the clasp. "It's beautiful, Care." He smiled. Caroline could see that it meant a lot for Stefan that she did that. Stefan pulled out his last gift and saw a dark green leather bound antique journal with the quote, 'un ami, c'est quelqu'un qui vous connait bien et qui vous aime quand même' engraved on the leather. _(A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same.)_ Stefan looked up at her with glassy eyes and she gave him a small smile knowing he needed a minute because it obviously meant something to him. Instead, to take the pressure off him, she turned to look at Damon.

"Having trouble there are we, Salvatore?" She teased and Damon smirked at her while Christie and Stefan chuckled. She reached over and unclipped the clasp of the box and Damon chuckled.

"Thank you, dear." He winked at her and she giggled at him being silly. Damon lifted the lid and looked inside the wooden box and saw a display _thing _in a fan design. He carefully lifted it out then saw 'Delamain Cognac' at the bottom. Damon carefully unhooked the top of the fan and was sure he was going to fall over in shock at the sight of the Le Voyage de Delamain bottle sitting within the open fan. He looked at Caroline wide eyed. "Are you insane?" Damon asked her in disbelief and she giggled.

"Damon. You don't say something like that." Stefan said shocked.

"Barbie, this is like... an $8000 bottle of cognac. You can't buy me stuff like that." He said to her in disbelief ignoring Stefan and she chuckled. Stefan and Christie's jaws were dropped at that.

"There are only 500 bottles made and it's like 250 years old. It's a collector's thing." She smiled.

"Oh, I'm well aware of what _exactly_ this is, Barbie." He said to her wide eyed.

"Well, don't worry so much. I _persuaded _the gentleman I bought it from to make me a much better deal." She winked at him and he laughed.

"That's alright then." He said amused then kissed her a peck on the lips. "It's awesome." He smirked.

"Good. You going to open it?" She asked and he chuckled in disbelief.

"Nope." He replied and she looked at him confused.

"Why not? I tried some out of an open bottle and it was amazing." She said.

"I'll save it for a special occasion." He replied.

"Like what?" She giggled. She couldn't imagine Damon ever waiting to drink something on a 'special occasion'.

"I don't know." He shrugged and they chuckled. "What about on the day I marry you?" He asked her with a smirk and she laughed while Stefan and Christie looked _ridiculously _surprised that he said that.

"I like it." Caroline agreed and he laughed.

"Good." He replied amused. He replaced the closed fan display case back into the wooden box then closed it and put it on the table next to him.

"You'll get your other present later." She said to him and he looked at her confused.

"Other?" He asked her.

"Everyone got two." She replied and he chuckled.

"What is it?" He asked her amused.

"French lingerie." She smirked and he just _stared _at her for a good ten seconds then turned to Stefan and Christie.

"Get out." He nodded his head to the door and they all laughed loudly.

"Patience." Caroline nudged him and he smirked.

"You know, Stefan and I have a present for _you _too." Damon teased her and she looked surprised. Stefan and Christie chuckled knowing he meant the hot tub hut.

"What?" She giggled and he smiled at her deviously. He took her hand then in a blink they were out the front door and Christie giggled.

"That's so cool." Christie said to Stefan amused and he chuckled. "Stefan, that was so unbelievably sweet of Caroline to think of me like that." She said motioning to her bracelet and pendant and he smiled.

"She's a wonderful person, Chris. I think you'd really love her if you spend some time together." He said and she smiled and nodded.

"I can see that." She replied happily. "You know your brother is head over heels for her, right?" She smirked and Stefan chuckled.

"Oh, yeah." Stefan replied amused and they both laughed a little.

"You know we were talking about camping up in that beautiful clearing with the view of the lake and the mountains?" Christie asked and he nodded. "You want to do that tonight then we can give them some time alone?" She asked and he smiled.

"I'd love to." He replied. "We could take that bottle of champagne up with us." He said and she smiled and shook her head.

"No, you should drink that with Caroline. She's your best friend besides Damon and you should hang out with her one night and drink that together. Make a nice memory." She smiled and he chuckled then kissed her.

"How did I end up with the most wonderful girl in the world?" Stefan smiled and she giggled.

"I guess you're just lucky." She winked and he chuckled.

"I really am." He said softly then she smiled and kissed him again. He pulled her a little closer and she ran her hand through his hair and he moaned a little into her mouth. "Let's find that tent." He mumbled into her mouth and she chuckled.

"Mmhmm." She agreed with a smile. Stefan flashed her a grin then disappeared upstairs just as Damon and Caroline were coming back into the house. "So what did you think?" Christie smiled.

"It's so amazing. I love it." Caroline grinned and Damon kissed her cheek.

"What's Mr Broody up to?" Damon asked.

"We're going camping tonight so he went to get the tent." Christie replied and Damon smirked.

"Excellent." He replied amused and the girls giggled.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Bracelet, Pendant & French Lingerie links on my profile if you want to see them :)**


	9. Chapter 9

I don't own The Vampire Diaries.

A/N: This is for **black angel Shatakshi**. You said you really wanted an update for this and I figured since you wanted to be 300 I'd oblige ;) Hope you enjoy!

* * *

><p>Choosing Each Other<p>

Chapter 9

* * *

><p>Stefan and Christie left about ten minutes later after Damon got Stefan to feed, leaving Damon and Caroline alone in the living room next to each other on the couch. Damon put his arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him and put her arm over his stomach then he let out a little happy sigh.<p>

"I'm so glad you're here." He said putting a kiss on her forehead and she smiled against his shoulder.

"So am I." She replied.

"How long are you here for?" He asked her hesitantly not really wanting to know the answer because he figured that it wouldn't be what he wanted her to say.

"Well, I have an open return so I was thinking three or four weeks." She replied and he frowned.

"But you don't start college for six weeks." He pointed out and she chuckled.

"I know but I have to pack up the rest of my room and spend some time with my mom, get my stuff moved to California, get settled in and figure things out like finding a job before college starts and whatever." She said.

"What do you need a job for?" Damon asked confused and she giggled.

"To pay my rent and bills." She said. "My mom's already paying my tuition." She added.

"Why don't you just compel your tuition and get your mother to pay your rent?" He asked sceptically and she chuckled.

"She's already sent them the money." Caroline replied. Damon was about to say that he'd give her the money but he knew she would never accept that so he came up with another idea.

"So... you want to earn the money for your rent?" He asked her with a smirk and she looked up at him amused.

"What exactly is going on in that head of yours?" She asked.

"With the scrap wood that was left over from the boat, I built a coffee table and carved it with designs and painted it then sold it to this little furniture store about half an hour away from here and made $1000 for it. I was thinking of doing some random things and selling them so why don't you help me and I'll split the money with you?" He asked with a smile and she looked surprised.

"I don't know anything about that stuff." She replied and he chuckled.

"You can paint. I know you can draw well, so you can help me come up with ideas and if you actually _listen _to me this time..." He chuckled. "I'll teach you how to do the carving properly." He said.

"Are you serious?" She asked amused and he shrugged.

"I finished the table in one day so I made like $950 profit from one day's work. If you want to help me with a few things, you'll have enough money to pay your full year's rent while having money left over." He said and she giggled.

"Well... sounds fun." She grinned and he kissed her cheek.

"The guy I sold it to called me and said that it was in the store for like three hours before someone bought it and apparently three people have come in and asked about it after seeing it at whoever bought it's house, so he's asked me to make more things." He said.

"That's amazing." Caroline said proudly. "Though, you are really talented at that." She smiled. "Is it only coffee tables you're going to make?" She asked and he shook his head.

"I've been asked for dining tables with matching chairs, coffee tables, side tables, bedroom furniture, ottomans, anything I want to make really." Damon replied and she looked contemplative.

"Are you going to upholster like the chairs and stuff?" She asked curiously and he smirked.

"I wouldn't have even thought of doing that to be honest. So... why don't I leave you in charge of that part?" He smirked and she smiled.

"This actually sounds really fun." She said.

"Good." He smiled.

"Can we start tomorrow?" She asked excitedly and he laughed.

"Sure." He replied amused. "You can help me come up with Christie's birthday present." He said and she giggled.

"You're going to make her something?" She asked with a smile and he nodded.

"She's always wanted a chaise lounge chair for under her bay window in white. She mentioned it the other day when we saw one in a movie that was on so I thought I'd make one for her for her birthday." He shrugged and she smiled.

"That's really sweet of you. That definitely needs to be upholstered." She said and he nodded.

"You can pick that part then. I don't know what chicks like for stuff like that." He smirked and she chuckled.

"I'm excited." She replied.

"Do you know what I'm excited about?" He teased and she giggled.

"The French lingerie?" She asked amused and he nodded.

"Exactly." He replied and she chuckled.

"Maybe I should go put it on then." She smiled at him deviously and he smirked.

"If it's too sexy there's a good chance I'll rip it off." He warned amused and she laughed.

"If you rip it off, you can't see it again." She pointed out and he laughed.

"I'll bear that in mind." He replied and she chuckled then kissed him.

"Come upstairs in two minutes." She replied and he nodded with a smile then she hurried upstairs. Damon sat there for a minute and just smiled. He was just so happy to have her there. She'd only been there for a few hours and already everyone was happier. She just made everything better. He couldn't contemplate her leaving again – he shook that thought off. Not the time to be thinking about that. He took his time then wandered upstairs to his room.

* * *

><p>He walked into his bedroom and his jaw dropped at the sight of what she was wearing. It was <em>so <em>sexy. It was a bra, suspenders and thong matching set with nude sheer material and black lace. The suspenders sat not far under her bust giving the illusion of lace on her skin instead of the garment. She'd paired it with matching nude and black lace stockings and _oh dear god _it was so hot. Caroline giggled at him totally _gaping _at her.

"Vous aimez?" She asked seductively and he hardened immediately at the little French seductive phrase. _(You like?)_

"I _love_." He replied and she smiled. In a blink she found herself on her back with him on top of her on the bed. "Definitely not ripping that." He said to her and she smiled.

"I'm glad you like it." She replied then kissed him hungrily.

* * *

><p>Stefan set up the tent at vampire speed and Christie giggled at the sight. He'd brought up a couple of bottles of wine and the two of them sat next to each other with a glass each overlooking the view and he had his arm around her.<p>

"This is perfect." She said snuggling into him. He kissed her head and held her a little tighter against him.

"Chris?" He asked softly and she looked up at him. "Thank you for not being afraid of me." He said just as softly and she smiled then leaned up and kissed him.

"I love you, Stefan. I could never be afraid of you." She said sincerely and his stomach fluttered.

"I love you too." He replied and she smiled widely then kissed him again.

"If you mean that, we have things to talk about." She said and he looked at her curiously.

"What do you want to talk about?" He asked her.

"You told me that you and Damon are sticking together from now on." She said and he nodded.

"We are." He agreed. "We have a lot of time to make up for." He said.

"I understand that and I think that's great." She smiled. "But Damon said last week that eventually he would move to California to be with Caroline. If you saw them earlier... that'll probably happen sooner rather than later. I love you already... but if you're planning on leaving in a couple of months... we need to talk about this." She said and he finally understood what she meant.

"I do mean it, Chris. I love you." He said. "I don't know how things with Damon and Caroline are going to work out but Damon's in it for the long haul. You heard him earlier, he wants to marry her." Stefan said and she nodded. "I know my brother and he means it." He said. "Before you and I happened, Damon and I agreed to stay here until I'm completely in control then travel for six months then go live in California... obviously I don't think that's going to happen now." He said.

"It's just... I feel like I've known you for so much longer than I have... we've spent every day together since our first date so it feels like we've been together for months." She said and he nodded.

"It does." He agreed. "When I asked you out, I didn't contemplate that I would fall for you so hard." He admitted.

"What do you mean?" She asked curiously.

"When I left Mystic Falls... I said to myself that I'd never fall in love with another human... and I did. Only this time... it feels so different." He said softly. "It feels..." He trailed off.

"Perfect?" She asked him softly and he nodded.

"Perfect." He agreed.

"Why does it matter that I'm human?" She asked him.

"Vampires don't grow old and die." He replied. "Vampires can literally be in love with someone for centuries." He said and she thought about that.

"Well... if things work out between us... I wouldn't have to stay human." She said to him and he looked surprised.

"You would turn?" He asked shocked as he'd never expected that. He'd expected her to feel like Elena on the matter.

"I think if you truly love someone, you'd do anything to be with them. If things worked for us, I would turn." She replied sincerely.

"But what about your family?" He asked her.

"I was raised to believe that the best way to live your life is to always follow your heart and trust where it takes you." She said running her palm sweetly over his cheek. "And mine took me to you so I trust that." She smiled at him softly and Stefan was past the point of melting at her saying that.

"I'm not going anywhere, Chris. I promise." He whispered and she smiled and kissed him.

* * *

><p>Caroline and Damon lay wrapped up in each other under the sheets and both were spent and kind of blissed out lying there all cuddled up with each other. Caroline was on her back and Damon was lying half at her side and half on top of her as he lazily ran his hand over her stomach and kissed her neck and her hand was rubbing his side softly and slowly.<p>

"So that's the bed christened." Caroline said amused and he chuckled against her skin.

"That's two for two on the christening." He said and she giggled.

"I really like it out here." She said. "I'd never even contemplated going to Montana before you two moved here, but it's great." She added and he nodded.

"It's better now." He said and she giggled.

"I love you." She smiled and he smiled against her neck and kissed up her neck to her cheek then kissed her lips.

"I love you." He replied.

"So it wasn't just to get into my pants." She teased and he chuckled.

"It was." He smirked. "But more like... to get into your pants _permanently_." He replied and she looked at him curiously.

"But it's not permanent yet." She replied softly and he heard the trace of sadness in her tone.

"You could just ditch Bonnie and Elena and stay with me." He said and her stomach fluttered.

"Don't tempt me, Damon." She whispered and he understood what she meant. He knew himself that logically it wasn't quite their time yet even if that was hard.

"You would only need to ask me to and I'd leave Stefan and follow you to California." He said and she melted.

"But you know I won't ask you to do that to him." She replied and he nodded.

"Typical, huh?" He smirked and she smiled.

"But I will ask you for something." She said.

"Ask." He encouraged.

"I want you to come to California when he's in control. When the blood training is finished. I know that you're supposed to be travelling but… don't. Come to California and be with me." She said and he nodded while he was certain that his dead heart fluttered.

"Consider it done." He replied and she grinned then kissed him. "But if I do... then you'll be it for me." He said to her cautiously and she understood what he meant.

"You mean it'll be forever?" She asked him and he nodded. "Couldn't think of a better person to spend my eternity with." She smiled and he got butterflies.

"Me neither." He said softly then kissed her and she smiled against his mouth.

* * *

><p>Stefan and Christie were in the tent and they were kissing passionately. Christie reached up to unbutton Stefan's shirt and he pulled up to look at her.<p>

"What's wrong?" She asked concerned.

"I just need you to know something." Stefan said.

"What, sweetie?" She asked him kindly.

"My face might change but it doesn't mean that I'm going to bite you, it just means that I need a minute." He explained and she smiled and nodded.

"I know, Stefan." She replied softly. "Damon talked to me about it already." She explained and Stefan looked surprised.

"Oh… uh… okay." He mumbled nervously.

"Don't worry. Just relax. You're not going to scare me." She said sincerely and he gave her a smile then kissed her again.

* * *

><p>Stefan and Christie walked out from the woods to the cabin hand in hand with smiles on their faces and they couldn't stop glancing at each other – after their night camping, they were even <em>more <em>into each other. Stefan noticed Damon and Caroline standing in the lake together. The water was up to their chests and Caroline had her arms around Damon's neck and Damon had his arms around her waist and they were talking to each other with matching smiles and it was obvious that they hadn't noticed the arrival of the other two. Stefan and Christie glanced at each other amused considering Damon and Caroline seemed to be just as wrapped up in each other as they were.

"Morning." Stefan called and both vampires snapped their heads to the shore to see Stefan and Christie all googly-eyed over each other holding hands and they chuckled at the sight.

"Good morning!" Caroline grinned at them.

"You know, Stef, we totally had it wrong for a century and a half." Damon quipped.

"What do you mean?" Stefan asked confused.

"_Blondes _are the way to go." Damon winked and Stefan, Christie and Caroline laughed at that.

"Blondes?" Caroline asked him amused.

"Just one blonde." Damon smirked then kissed her and Stefan and Christie chuckled at Damon being _so sappy _again. Christie was amused to see that side of him as she'd basically just seen him being a jokester, an ass and a man whore previously.

"How was camping?" Caroline asked with a smile.

"It was great." Christie smiled.

"Did Stef finally seal the deal?" Caroline teased and Christie and Damon laughed loudly at her being so blunt while Stefan scowled at Damon.

"You told her that?" Stefan asked Damon annoyed and he smirked in return.

"Obviously." Damon replied amused. "I always tell Blondie when I discover funny things." Damon quipped and Caroline and Christie laughed at him being a total ass.

"Not funny." Stefan muttered.

"It's a little funny." Christie disagreed with a smirk and Damon and Caroline laughed at her playing along while Stefan rolled his eyes.

"Have I mentioned how awesome your girlfriend is?" Damon asked his brother amused and they chuckled.

"So much so that Damon's decided to ditch you and stay friends with Christie if you screw it up." Caroline smirked at Stefan while Christie winked at Damon who snickered.

"I'm not going to screw it up." Stefan muttered and they chortled.

"Let's go on a double date tonight. My treat." Caroline chirped with a smile and Damon eyed her sceptically.

"Why?" He asked.

"It'll be fun." Caroline smiled.

"For who?" Damon retorted and they laughed.

"For everyone." Caroline replied.

"I can see them any time." Damon muttered and she rolled her eyes.

"Well, you stay home then and I'll take _them _to dinner." Caroline smirked and Damon shot her a look while the other two laughed. Christie loved how Caroline totally _handled _Damon and didn't get affected by him being a grump. She found that very amusing.

"You'd ditch me?" Damon asked her annoyed.

"If you aren't going to be pleasant and come out with us then, yeah." Caroline said amused and he crossed his arms over his chest. "If you play nice, I'll do you in the boat later." She smirked and Stefan and Christie snickered at that.

"Fine." Damon muttered and they laughed.

"Christie? Want to go shopping with me? Need a new dress if we're going out tonight." Caroline smiled.

"Sure, I'd love to." Christie smiled.

"Hey." Damon complained and they snickered.

"You have to go buy wood." Caroline pointed out. "We won't be long." She smiled and he rolled his eyes.

"Fine." He muttered and she kissed his cheek.

* * *

><p>After about fifteen minutes of arguing, Damon relented and let Caroline take his car then she and Christie were off to town to shop.<p>

"Why are you being so grumpy?" Stefan asked Damon curiously as they had a blood bag each on the deck in their usual chairs.

"She's leaving in like three weeks." Damon murmured and Stefan sighed.

"Then be grumpy _then_, not _now _when she's here." Stefan replied and Damon rolled his eyes.

"Fine, you have a point." Damon conceded. "So, _did _you seal the deal?" He smirked.

"You don't call it that when you love the person." Stefan scowled at him and Damon chuckled.

"Aww, are you into the 'making love' terminology?" Damon teased and Stefan rolled his eyes.

"Would you call it 'sealing the deal' with Caroline?" Stefan countered and Damon shot him a look. "See?" He asked and Damon sighed.

"Whatever. Did you?" Damon asked.

"Yeah." Stefan nodded.

"And? You manage to control yourself?" Damon asked curiously.

"Mmhmm. My face changed once but apparently you talked to her about that." Stefan commented.

"I told you, I like Cabby. Didn't want her to get a shock thinking that you were making her your dinner or something." Damon quipped.

"It was much easier with her than it was with the one-nighters." Stefan remarked.

"That's because you don't _care _about the one-nighters." Damon pointed out. Stefan was quiet for a moment then asked.

"You're going to move to California soon, aren't you?" Stefan asked and Damon sighed.

"I love her, Stefan." Damon replied looking out at the water. "We can still travel but we need to be based in California when you're blood training is complete." He said and Stefan thought about that.

"What about Christie?" Stefan asked.

"She's supposed to be moving to Portland for college anyway. She can always get a transfer to California. It's not like she'd need to leave her family behind for you because she was doing that anyway." Damon pointed out…

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><p>AN: Let me know what you think :)


	10. Chapter 10

I don't own The Vampire Diaries.

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><p>Choosing Each Other<p>

Chapter 10

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><p>The weeks went far too quickly for both of them and Caroline even extended the trip to five weeks because she couldn't bring herself to book the return flight. Eventually she had to even though it sucked. They'd had such a blast together and they'd made tons of furniture together which earned them a small fortune – far more than Caroline had needed for her rent in California – and they'd both really enjoyed working together. They'd had tons of dates, tons of double dates with Christie and Stefan and by the time she was leaving, Christie was sure that she wanted to be best friends with Caroline forever and Caroline felt the same way.<p>

However.

On the morning Caroline was leaving, Damon was nowhere to be found. His car was gone, no note, his phone was off and they had no idea where he was. Caroline left it as late as she could until she absolutely had to get to the airport. Stefan and Christie drove her out to the airport but they could see that she was visibly hurt by Damon's disappearance. She checked in then they walked her up to security.

"I'm going to miss you guys." Caroline said to them sadly and they hugged her.

"We'll miss you too." Stefan replied just as unhappily.

"Call us as soon as you land." Christie bid, giving her hand a squeeze. "And we'll see you as soon as possible." She added and Caroline nodded.

"Anything you want me to say to my idiot brother?" Stefan asked and Caroline shook her head.

"No, if he calls I'll have plenty to say to him myself." She said annoyed and they nodded in understanding.

* * *

><p>They spoke for a few more minutes, then Caroline reluctantly said goodbye, they wished her a good flight and finally parted ways. Caroline went through security, looked around in the airport shopping area then went to her gate. She took out her phone to turn it off when she noticed that she had a voicemail and a missed call from Damon. She frowned then put her phone to her ear and listened, despite her irritation with him. She heard a small exhale before he said anything…<p>

"_Caroline._" He began and she heard how sad he sounded. "_I… I'm a coward._" He began quietly and her eyes watered in anticipation. "_I love you so much already… I swear these 34 days with you have been the best 34 days of my life and I just… I couldn't watch you leave me again._" He said emotionally and she sobbed a little. "_I'm sorry._" He replied with a small sniff that wrenched her heart. "_I just knew if I didn't get the hell out of there this morning that I'd do something stupid because… I don't want you to leave._" He admitted. "_I was such a bastard when you met me because I've been miserable my entire life… but you make me happy for the first time since I was kid and Stefan, Bonnie and Elena just aren't good enough reasons anymore, so… stay._" He bid and her eyes widened. "_Please stay, Caroline._" He repeated softly then the message ended and tears fell down her cheeks because she didn't know what to do.

* * *

><p>Stefan kind of gathered that Damon wasn't going to want company, so he agreed to stay over with Christie as he'd done that a few times since his control was getting better and better. Damon kept looking at his phone – nothing. No calls, no messages, no texts – not a word. It was almost dinnertime, so Damon gathered that she would have landed in Virginia by then. He even restarted his phone just in case, but nothing.<p>

He was sitting on the edge of the small pier with his legs hanging over the side resting on the rim of the boat as he watched the lake in pure misery. He felt like such a loser because he'd literally cried like ten times that day. He was sniffing and wiping his eyes when he heard footsteps behind him on the pier and he was kind of embarrassed because he didn't want Stefan to see him totally distraught over a girl.

"Not in the mood, Stefan." Damon mumbled after the footsteps stopped then Damon was confused as Stefan didn't say anything back. Damon wiped his eyes then looked over his shoulder and his jaw fell open at the sight of a nervous looking blonde standing there. He was sure that he was going to fall over in shock at the fact she _hadn't _left, so he was on his feet in a blink as he stared at her. "Caroline." He whispered emotionally and she nibbled on her lower lip as her eyes stayed locked with his.

"Why didn't you just say that to my face?" She asked bluntly and his gaze went to the ground because he was so bad at the feelings thing.

"Because I… I don't have experience in this stuff and I tend to have a 'run first, think later' first reaction." He admitted awkwardly and she watched him, marginally amused by him admitting that but she didn't comment. "And it's so selfish." He said sadly, looking up at her. "I just want you to ditch everyone and be with me." He admitted. "I genuinely do not care if you ever see Bonnie and Elena again because I can't stand the idea of you leaving." He confessed with watery eyes and she stared at him as she thought that over. "But on a realistic level, I understand that you're just shy of nineteen years old, you need to live and experience and I am not what's best for you right now." He acknowledged miserably.

"What do you _want_?" Caroline asked him candidly.

"Blunt truth?" He asked and she nodded. "I want to put a ring on your finger and marry you." He said shocking her and her stomach fluttered. "But I understand that's too fast, so… I just want to be with you. I'll leave Stefan and Christie, I'll leave Montana and go wherever you want…" He took her hand. "Just… be with me. Just me." He bid gently and she bit her lip.

"I thought of a compromise." She admitted surprising him.

"What compromise?" He tested and she exhaled.

"We've really only spent like six weeks together in total over the space of two vacations." She reminded him. "And Stefan's almost there. A little longer and he'll be in control forever, so you can't leave him _now_." She said and he looked set to argue that, so she continued before he could. "And I was thinking about how Christie arranged to do her first semester of college here before transferring to see how things would go with Stefan and I thought maybe I could do the same." She suggested stunning him. "So… it would give us from now until January to see if we're going to work before making any huge lifetime decisions." She added and he was in front of her in a blur and his hands gripped her hips.

"Really?" He asked softly. "You'd stay?" He examined as his forehead leaned against hers and she nodded.

"I love you." She said gently. "I'd be so miserable without you." She admitted then he kissed her and she kissed him back as her hands held onto him. "I changed my flight to Virginia to tomorrow morning instead." She advised when she pulled away and he frowned.

"Why are you going to Virginia?" He asked doubtfully and she chuckled.

"If I'm going to live here, I need my stuff." She pointed out and he flashed her a grin.

"But you'll come straight back, right?" He tested and she giggled.

"You're a big sap." She teased fondly and he nodded then put kisses on her shoulder.

"You have no idea." He mumbled. "I've been an embarrassing girly mess all day." He mumbled and she smiled as her hand gently ran through his hair and the other held his shoulder.

"You better mean it, Damon." She said seriously. "Because if I leave my friends, ditch the plans we've had since we were little girls for _you_… then you're over it in five minutes…" She trailed off and he pulled her flush against him and stared into her eyes.

"I'm never going to be over it." Damon vowed seriously. "I want you to stay more than anything." He said sincerely.

"What about the girl you were seeing before I got here?" She tested.

"What girl?" Damon asked confused.

"The Marianna one." She said and he rolled his eyes because he'd totally forgotten about her.

"Okay, I'll be brutally honest." He began and she nodded. "She was a nice girl and hot but we were only messing around. She was just out of a relationship so she wanted sex and hanging out with zero feelings and zero commitment and that's why I went with it for a couple of weeks because I was missing you and Stefan was getting to be with Christie when I couldn't be with you and…" He trailed off. "You know when girls are sad they eat ice cream and watch romantic comedies?" He asked and she giggled.

"Yeah." She agreed amused.

"Well… Marianna was just my… ice cream and chick flicks." He replied softly. "She just… kept me distracted for a couple of weeks." He admitted and she considered that.

"So… you want to be in an _actual _relationship with me?" Caroline asked and he deadpanned.

"Obviously." He agreed then looked confused. "What did you think I meant?" He asked doubtfully.

"I was just checking." She countered. "You're just not exactly known for wanting a girlfriend, Mr Salvatore." She pointed out and he chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"Stop being difficult." He smirked and she shot him an amused look.

"_I'm _difficult?" She asked amused. "You're like 'catching a rainbow with a net' difficult." She teased and he cracked a laugh.

"Hey!" He defended amused and she giggled.

"'Hunting sharks with a guppy as the only weapon' difficult." She continued amused and he kept laughing.

"That's so not fair." He replied amused.

"What about 'chasing flies with a truck' difficult?" She smirked and he was in stitches.

"That's so much crap." He pointed out.

"How so?" She asked.

"Because I'd do anything for you." He replied and her stomach fluttered then she kissed him.

"Anything?" She asked and he nodded.

"Why? What do you want?" He questioned amused then she leaned in to his ear.

"I want you to carry me to _our _bed and have your way with me." She purred and he shivered in anticipation while his stomach fluttered at the 'our' part. In a blink he had her up bridal style in his arms and was darting to the house in a blur. Before she could register the movement, Caroline landed on her back with Damon on top of her as he put kisses over her neck, making her close her eyes and smile as she enjoyed his gentle touches.

* * *

><p>Caroline yawned as she woke up then sleepily rolled over and saw that Damon was wide awake already and staring at the ceiling.<p>

"What's wrong?" She examined confused.

"What makes you think something's wrong?" Damon asked her cocking an eyebrow and she shot him a look.

"Because usually when I wake up you're all kissy and trying to get laid." She retorted and he chuckled and rolled his eyes – though, cutting the bullshit was probably his favourite of all of her qualities.

"I realised that you never actually gave me an answer." Damon stated and she looked confused.

"What?" She asked, not following.

"I asked you to be with me and you never said yes." He elaborated and she shot him an amused look.

"Right, I just agreed to ditch Bonnie and Elena and stay here with you to live in your room with you because I want to be buddies." She quipped and he cracked a chuckle.

"Can you just give me the confirmation, please?" He countered amused.

"I suppose I might be able to win over Stefan if I stay." She said thoughtfully, putting a finger on her chin in contemplation and he deadpanned.

"You're not funny." Damon retorted and she giggled and nudged him.

"You're such a fucking dumbass." She replied amused and he laughed in disbelief.

"Hey." He defended amused then she rolled on top of him, straddling her legs at either side of him as she sat at his waist and he held her hips with his hands as she looked down at him. "Sitting on me naked doesn't answer the question either." He smirked and she chuckled and shook her head.

"No." She denied amused and he shot her a look.

"No?" He asked in disbelief and she ran her hands slowly down his chest and his eyes hooded a little and she felt his blood flowing elsewhere beneath her. "Caroline, stop distracting me." He mumbled and she smirked then moved her hips so that he slid inside of her and he groaned a little then pulled her hips up and down on him while his own hips moved to meet the movements.

"Let's face it, you love being distracted by sex." She smirked and he chuckled then sat up and pulled her flush against him, so her arms went around his neck and her legs wrapped around his waist.

"No, I love _you_." Damon countered then kissed her and she kissed him back as they gently rocked their hips into each other. "Now, give me an answer or I'm going for a cold shower and you can have sex with yourself." He smirked and she laughed in disbelief.

"You sound like a jilted housewife." She teased and he chuckled then put kisses on her shoulder. "Does that make me your first real girlfriend?" She asked amused and he smirked against her skin.

"Not until you give me an answer." He countered and she snickered.

"What was the question again?" She teased and he groaned.

"You're so annoying." He stated amusing her.

"So are you." She replied with a little smirk.

"Fine." He shook his head. "Will you be my girlfriend?" He asked and she smiled over his shoulder as her stomach fluttered.

"I'll think about it." She smirked and he chuckled in disbelief.

"Caroline." He complained and she giggled.

"Obviously, Damon." She replied and he smiled.

"So, yes?" He asked and she laughed.

"For God's sake." She replied and he chuckled. "**Yes**." She confirmed emphatically making him grin then he put kisses over her neck as he moved against her.

* * *

><p>At around lunchtime, Stefan and Christie wandered into the house and their jaws dropped at the sight of Damon lying on the couch heatedly making out with someone, though at the angle they were standing, they could only see his shirtless back and the top of his head. They glanced at each other in disbelief at the fact Caroline hadn't even been gone for a <em>day<em> and he was already screwing someone else.

"Damon." Stefan boomed in disbelief and Damon looked up at them.

"Oh, hey. Didn't hear you come in." He smirked and they both stared at him stonily. "What are you so mad about?" He asked confused.

"Caroline hasn't even been gone for a day!" Christie said disbelieving and he smirked then looked down – then their jaws dropped when Caroline moved up on her elbows and looked up at them with a smirk.

"Care!" Stefan grinned excitedly and both Damon and Caroline chuckled.

"I'm not a total slut." Damon retorted and they laughed.

"Yes, you are." The three of them replied in unison then laughed again and he rolled his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Christie squealed happily.

"Damon went all mushy on me." Caroline smirked and Damon rolled his eyes again while Stefan and Christie snickered.

"You're staying?" Stefan grinned.

"Until January." She agreed amused and they grinned understanding that she was going to do the same thing as Christie was.

"That's what you think." Damon quipped and they chuckled.

"But if Caroline's staying then why is Mari coming over later?" Stefan asked confused and Damon's eyes almost fell out of his head at the fact he forgot about that and Caroline looked at him with a 'what?' expression.

"Oh, crap." Damon slapped his hand to his head and Christie elbowed Stefan for saying that in front of Caroline.

"Are you for real?" Caroline asked him flatly.

"We're… uh… going for a walk." Christie said then took Stefan's hand and dragged him back outside while Caroline stared at Damon flatly.

"The day after I left? Really?" She questioned irritated.

"I was upset and you didn't call me or text me back all day." Damon replied sadly.

"Because you asked me to make a huge life altering decision. By _voicemail _too. You didn't even do it to my face, so I had to think about it a little before just throwing away years of planning just because you've decided you want to be with me." She replied annoyed and he frowned. "You know, Damon." She shook her head then nudged him off of her as she stood up then pulled her top back on since she'd just been in her jeans and bra. "I don't think you're ready for this." She denied and his jaw fell.

"Yes, I am." He countered shocked.

"We just spent every day of the last five weeks together and literally the same day I was scheduled to leave, you already made plans to screw another girl." She said and he winced.

"I'm sorry." He replied upset. "But I spilled my heart out to you on that voicemail and you never called me back. By the time I called Marianna, your plane should have landed in Virginia, so I thought you'd heard the voicemail and you'd rejected me." He admitted and she faltered because she was pretty sure if it was the other way around she would have been inconsolable if she'd spilled her heart out and was rejected.

"And what if we have a fight?" She asked. "Are you just going to run back to her every time?" She asked and he kind of wanted to shoot himself for being so stupid.

"No." He denied upset. "I just want you." He swore.

"I don't think you know what you want." She countered and his jaw fell.

"Yes, I do." He replied shocked.

"Damon, I'm going back to Virginia." She stated. "I'm going to be there for a week. I want you to really think about this because I'm not going to risk everything just to be some _whim _of yours." She disclosed and his eyes watered.

"It's not like that." He refuted upset.

"Think about it." She directed. "Because I'm not up for getting hurt or being cheated on or anything of the sort." She pointed to him and his jaw fell.

"I'd never cheat on you." He replied with tears welling.

"You must have some feelings for Marianna, so figure it out while I'm gone because I'm going to call you in a week and you're going to tell me what's happening." She declared and he sniffed.

"I don't have feelings for her." Damon denied wide-eyed and she shook her head.

"Figure it out, Damon. I'll call you in a week." She sighed then grabbed her holdall – she'd left her suitcase in a storage cubby at the airport since she'd run back to his house.

"Where are you going?" Damon asked confused.

"The airport. There's a flight at 9pm." She said stunning him.

"No, wait." He bid but she was already gone making him groan in frustration then smack the table which sent it flying into the wall making it break as it crashed to the floor…

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><p>AN: Should be more Stefan/Damon in the next chapter. Hope you liked it for those of you that were waiting for this :)


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